A violent thug who bashed his girlfriend of three weeks after she moved interstate to be with him has been sentenced to nine months behind bars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Joshua Jason Aniello, 28, was on parole for an unrelated matter when he repeatedly punched the woman in the face and threatened to kill her during a dispute at his Figtree home on February 16 this year.
A set of agreed police facts tendered to Wollongong Local Court on Friday said Aniello and the woman met on a dating app and had only been an item for three weeks when she left South Australia and moved in with him.
The court heard police arrived at Aniello's home at 11.40pm on February 15 to check he was complying with his bail, at which time the victim was uninjured.
However, they were called back to the house six hours later by paramedics who had been called to the scene to treat Aniello's mother for head injuries.
Aniello denied there was anyone else in the house when police arrived, but the officers searched the premises and discovered the victim in a room at the rear of the premises.
She had severe bruising and swelling to her face and appeared in shock. She initially said nothing had happened, but admitted a short time later that Aniello had thrown her to the ground.
She was treated in hospital before attending Wollongong Police Station the following day and providing a statement.
She told officers Aniello had become angry after looking at her phone, prompting her to tell him she would get his mother in a bid to calm him.
Aniello yelled "don't you threaten my mother" and grabbed the woman, throwing her onto the tiled floor several times until she was knocked unconscious.
The woman said she remembered Aniello punching her multiple times in the face then dragging her into the bathroom and spraying her with the shower nozzle to wash the blood from her face.
He then took her to a room at the back of the house and told her "if you leave this room, I will f--king kill you".
Aniello was charged and remanded in custody.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intimidation.
In court on Friday, defence barrister Adam Williams said Aniello had spent the majority of the last five years behind bars on armed robbery and stabbing charges, noting he had twice breached his parole - once within a week of being released from jail.
He said Aniello had significant psychological issues that had been present since childhood.
Magistrate Mark Douglass sentenced Aniello to 16 months' jail, with a 9-month non-parole period.
As part of the order, Aniello is to be supervised on parole including having a mental health assessment and accept any treatment recommended by Corrective Services staff.
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...
