Leaping out of a black Toyota ute, Samuel Messina ran into Port Kembla Local Court to dodge the waiting media, but there was no avoiding the verdict a Magistrate was about to hand down.
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The former Farmer Wants A Wife star was found guilty in Port Kembla Local Court of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Read more: Warrawong teen assaulted with BMX bike
A fourth charge was found not proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Messina, 27, will learn his fate in January when he returns to Port Kembla Local Court to be sentenced on these three matters, as well as one charge of unlawful entry and one charge of intimidation which he pleaded guilty to in April.
The court heard Messina attacked his then partner on three separate occasions.
The first was on March 23 and 24, 2020 when during the course of an argument, Messina's ex barricaded herself inside a bedroom. Messina used the bedroom door to injure the woman, knowing she was there, and opening the door would hit her toes.
On July 8, 2020, during another argument, Messina grabbed the woman's clothes and caused injuries, namely scratches to her chest.
The third incident occurred on July 31, 2020, when Messina punched the woman's nose, causing her to bleed and bruise. For weeks afterwards, every time the woman blew her nose blood could be seen on the tissue because of the attack.
In each case, the woman documented the attacks with photos of her injuries immediately after they happened.
After the relationship ended in August, the woman told the court she felt ashamed, alone and isolated but built up the courage to be able to report the attacks to police in early 2021.
Around this time, in February 2021, Messina continued his aggressive behaviour towards the victim.
On 26 February, Messina entered his ex-partner's property without her permission and threatened to kill her pet rabbits.
Court documents reveal Messina went into the woman's yard and took the rabbits and threatened to sell them, before threatening to kill them. The woman later convinced Messina to return the bunnies.
After the woman made her complaint, police began to investigate Messina. This included interviewing not only the victim, her friends and family, but also Messina. In an interview with police in March, Messina denied the allegations of assault, instead deflecting allegations, according to Magistrate Michael Ong.
"I do not find it is consistent with honest commentary on the allegations," Mr Ong said in his findings.
During the hearings, the woman took the stand on two separate days in 2022, undergoing lengthy cross examination.
Mr Ong said throughout this, the woman's evidence was consistent and honest.
"I accept she was a reliable historian and evidence was truthful, consistent and unrehearsed."
Messina did not take to the stand.
Mr Ong said that in cases such as this, a delay between the events occurring and their reporting is a "common occurrence" and did not diminish the veracity of the account.
"[It is] well established victims of violent or abusive conduct may make no complaint and delay does not become prohibitive of witness being untruthful," Mr Ong said.
Mr Ong said the woman was further motivated by Messina making threats to her pets and arriving at her address unannounced.
"Upon consideration of the complainant's evidence of her feelings, thought processes and motivations, I accept the evidence."
Mr Ong said a fourth charge of assault had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, partly due to a mix up in the timing of the complaint and a clash with the woman's work hours.
As the verdict was read out, two female supporters of Messina who were present in court could be seen to shake their heads.
Unlike his dash into the courthouse, Messina left Port Kembla calmly, accompanied by his lawyer, Matt Ward, and did not speak to the media.
Messina will be sentenced in January.
'Farmer Sam' courted controversy during the 2021 run of the show amid rumours he was not a farmer but instead a truck driver and had a secret girlfriend during filming of the show. In an Instagram post, Messina denied the rumours.
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