A Figtree man accused of smashing his girlfriend's face into tiles did so after she asked him to stop throwing cigarette butts off a balcony, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Daniel Mlacic, aged 35, fronted Wollongong Local Court accused of causing a large cut, bleeding and swelling to his partner's nose during a violent attack.
In documents tendered to court, police went to the Wollongong home of Mlacic's girlfriend on Monday afternoon following reports of a verbal and physical fight.
When officers arrived, no one answered the door, prompting them to walk to the side of the unit where they heard a woman yelling "get off me" before a man shouted, "shut the f--k up".
Officers warned they would kick the front door down if it was not opened however Mlacic let them into the unit where they saw blood on the tiles in the hallway.
Mlacic tried to stand in the way of officers entering the bedroom where he girlfriend was sitting on the bed clutching a bloody towel to her face.
An officer moved Mlacic out of the way and saw the girlfriend's nose was swollen and had a deep bleeding cut on the bridge of her nose that continued in a jaggered downward direction.
The girlfriend allegedly told police, "he pushed me to the ground and smashed my face against the tiles".
While waiting for an ambulance, she told officers she had arrived home at 4am the previous night to find Mlacic at her unit and when she woke up the next day, he was agitated because he wanted cigarettes.
The partner went to a neighbour's house to ask for cigarettes and when she came back she asked him to stop flicking butts off the balcony.
She alleges Malacic stormed towards her, grabbed her by the hair and shoved her to the ground face first.
Mlacic then allegedly pulled her head back by her hair and slammed her face into the tiles shortly before police arrived.
Police will allege Mlacic started to struggle with them when they tried to arrest him before he starting yelling, repeatedly calling them "dogs" and swearing
He was taken to Wollongong Police Station where he allegedly spat on a door, rendering the room inoperable and it had to be professionally cleaned.
"In custody, [Mlacic's] demeanour was sporadic and unstable, going from aggressive to polite to sobbing," the court documents said.
Mlacic was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, resisting police, contravening an apprehended violence order, using offensive language and damaging property.
In court on Tuesday, defence lawyer Stewart Holt sought Mlacic's release from custody saying he had stable accommodation, depression and would be able to return to work as a landscaper once COVID was over.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Kyle Talty submitted Mlacic would not comply with any bail conditions because he had previously breached AVOs and other court orders.
She said Mlacic also admitted to police that "I go to her house every day" even though an AVO prohibits him from visiting her unit.
Magistrate Jillian Kiely refused to grant Mlacic bail due to previous history of violence.
Mlacic will return to court on August 13.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Subscribe to our newsletters
