An Illawarra man jailed for nearly three years over a series of horrific assaults on his baby daughter can expect to have more time added to his prison term when he faces sentencing this week for bashing and choking the child's mother.
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The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of both his daughter and his then 17-year-old girlfriend, pleaded guilty to 18 domestic violence charges in Wollongong Local Court recently relating to the abuse of the young woman over a four-day period in September last year.
The assaults occurred in the days after Family and Community Services removed the couple's 10-week-old daughter from their care in late August after caseworkers noticed bruising on the child's face.
A subsequent medical examination of the child found she had seven fractures to her ribs, all of which were at different stages of healing, indicating multiple assaults.
She also had a fractured right wrist.
Police planted a covert listening bug inside the couple's home, which recorded the father admitting he'd "karate-chopped" the girl and squeezed her ribs.
He told [the psychologist] that he believed he was performing the functions of parenthood adequately.
The listening device also detected the man carrying out multiple assaults on his girlfriend, who was pregnant with their second child and the subject of an apprehended domestic violence order naming her as a protected person.
In one instance, while the pair were arguing over the man's penchant for spending their limited funds on pet fish, he called her a "f--king dog c--t", while later that same day he threatened to break her jaw, then hit her.
Meanwhile, the man tried to choke the teen and told her "my pregnant f--kin girlfriend's not leaving this f--king house tonight in one f--king piece" early the following morning during another argument.
He was also overheard telling the girl later that same day "I hope you know I'm kicking that f--king kid out of your gut before you leave my house".
The man was arrested on October 1 and charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm over his assault on his child, and choking and AVO breaches over his attack on his partner.
Wollongong District Court judge Chris O'Brien presided over proceedings for the child's assault earlier this month, sentencing the man to an overall prison term of four years and six months, with a non-parole period of two years and ten months.
He found the man had "limited, if any, insight into his offending".
"He told [the psychologist] that he believed he was performing the functions of parenthood adequately," Judge O'Brien said.
"He could not have been more mistaken."
Meanwhile, Wollongong Local Court magistrate Claire Girotto is due to sentence the man on Friday for his offences against his girlfriend.
During earlier proceedings, defence lawyer Laura Fennell acknowledged the seriousness of her client's actions and said he expected to have his current non-parole period extended.
"I would ask your Honour to be mindful of not imposing a crushing sentence," she said.
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