An Illawarra man has been refused bail over a sickening alleged attack on his former partner behind closed doors.
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The man was already on bail for domestic violence offences and an apprehened violence order was in place, meant to protect the woman.
On Monday Wollongong Local Court heard the allegations arose in tragic circumstances, as the pair were mourning the loss of an unborn child.
The court heard the woman went to a local shopping centre and returned to her car to find the man's car behind hers. She complied with his instructions for her to drive to her former home, to which he held the keys. She made dinner for him and his friend before the two men went out.
According to a police account, the man grew enraged and physically rough once he returned, accusing the woman of being unfaithful and sexually assaulting her with his finger.
He allegedly ignored her pleas to "please just let me leave", covered her mouth and gripped her face so tightly it would leave bruising over her face and jawline.
In a later stage of the alleged ordeal, the man grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her before punching her twice in the back of her head with a closed fist.
He is further accused of covering the woman's mouth and nose with his hand so that she couldn't breathe and started to panic.
"The victim started to struggle and the accused grabbed the victim around her throat with his other hand and started squeezing it," police allege, in a written account considered by Magistrate Mark Douglass.
"The victim couldn't scream any more, felt faint and her eyes started to feel strange. The accused took his hands away and the victim started to cough and vomited. The victim couldn't breathe and the accused started blowing air into her mouth."
The man was later charged with nine offences, including choking and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Seeking bail in court on Monday, the man agreed to move out of the area and a relative offered to pay $5000 to ensure his attendance at future court dates.
But police prosecutor Sean Thackray opposed bail.
"A current AVO certainly hasn't prevented contact, and a very serious further allegation arising in those circumstances," he said. "So a court would be very guarded as to whether further bail conditions can adequately mitigate the risks of further offences."
Magistrate Douglass refused bail, finding the man would pose an unacceptable risk to the woman's safety if released. The man was visibly shocked at the decision and gasped, dropped his head into shaking hands.
"I just want to go mourn my [baby's] loss with family," the man said. "I'll report twice a day. I'll do anything - please, please."
The matter returns to court September 29.
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