A woman out celebrating her birthday in Wollongong has gone home with a small, perfectly round burn to her face, after her boyfriend allegedly stubbed out a cigarette on her cheek.
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Leeton Jackson 23, of Flinders, is accused of stalking the woman from her Corrimal home to the Wollongong CBD on Friday night, as she went to visit the city's pubs and clubs with friends.
Jackson had been served with an apprehended violence order just 17 days earlier, expressly barring him from assaulting, stalking or harrassing the woman.
On Monday Wollongong Local Court heard the woman caught a train to Wollongong and was walking with friends on Crown St when Jackson "appeared from nowhere" and repeatedly questioned her about where she was going.
The pair were in a heated argument when Jackson allegedly pushed a lit cigarette into the woman's cheek, with enough force to extinguish it.
Jackson allegedly followed the woman for another 500 metres, ignoring her calls for him to leave her alone. According to a police account of events, she tried to take refuge in The Grand Hotel, where multiple onlookers contacted police.
Jackson was arrested and later charged with assault occassioning actual bodily harm, stalk/intimidate and contravening an AVO. According to police he began hitting himself in the face with his handcuffs once inside the back of a caged police truck, causing a bleeding cut to his forehead that was later treated by paramedics. The woman provided a statement to police but Jackson was considered too drunk to do so.
Jackson sought bail in court on Monday, vowing to report multiple times daily to police and not to go within 100 metres of the woman.
The court heard Jackson had been involved in a violent altercation with the woman's neighbours when he attended her home earlier that night.
Opposing bail, police prosecutor Kylie Tatly said the case against Jackson was strong, backed by multiple witnesses to the alleged assault.
"In addition to that, he has a history of violence; he was on an intensive corrections order at the time for a common assault," Sgt Talty said, adding this related to the same alleged victim.
Magistrate Robert Walker refused bail. The matter returns to court October 15.