A Wollongong doctor has been granted bail after he allegedly choked his former partner twice and then tried to stop her reporting it to police.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Faris Ibrahim Hejazin, who works for TeamMed Wollongong Medical Centre as a general medical practitioner, applied to be released on bail in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday following his arrest on Monday night.
The 33-year-old man has been charged with common assault and contravening a prohibition or restriction in an apprehended violence order.
Police allege Hejazin - who lives in the downstairs granny flat of the Gerringong home he shared with his partner before they split - was repeatedly asking her to sleep with him on Monday, which she refused.
About 9pm, the woman was sitting in her lounge room when Hejazin walked up to her and allegedly grabbed her by the throat and squeezed it with one hand for about two seconds.
After the woman was allegedly let go, she told Hejazin she was going to call police prompting him to snatch her mobile phone from her.
He eventually handed back the phone following her pleas to return it before he went downstairs to his granny flat, which he shares with his mother.
Later that night the woman heard Hejazin walk up the stairs and found him lying on her bed.
The woman turned on the light and asked him to leave but he allegedly refused but eventually followed her to the front door when she opened it.
The woman told Hejazin she was going to call the police which prompted him to allegedly grab her throat with one hand again and this time lifted her from the floor and pressed her against the wall.
The woman allegedly felt pain and yelled at Hejazin before he let her go.
The woman called for Hejazin's mother to come upstairs and he walked outside.
Hejazin allegedly tried to grab his ex-partner's phone when she tried to call police and they had a short wrestle prior to the telephone operator answering the call.
Police allege the woman kept trying to talk to the operator but Hejazin terminated the call and tried to convince his former partner not to call them.
Police arrived at the home a short time later and obtained a written statement from the woman and police viewed security camera footage of the lounge room.
Hejazin was arrested for allegedly assaulting the woman and breaching his provisional order that was in place since November 2019, before he was taken to Lake Illawarra police station and charged.
In court, Hejazin's lawyer Anthony Stewart said his client was "very distressed" and "emotional" about his situation.
Mr Stewart said his client had no prior criminal history and described Hejazin's relationship with the woman as "turning sour" yet he still lived in a granny flat.
Magistrate Michael O'Brien only agreed to grant Hejazin bail as he could live with his friend near Liverpool and he must report to police once a week, not enter the Gerringong family home, nor contact his ex-partner and must comply with the AVO.
The case will return to court on August 5.
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.
Sign up to our newsletters
