An Albion Park Rail man who violently bashed a disabled woman in a jealous rage later called her from his jail cell to convince her to lie to police.
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Zacharia Jimmy Bero, 25, was heard pressuring the victim in a phone call a month after he was arrested for unleashing a vicious attack on her. The entire conversation was recorded.
"Please don't tell the police that I've contacted you ... you have to withdraw all this sh-t," he said.
"I am," the victim said.
"I'm so f---ing sorry for the way I carried on, I had no f---ing right, but I don't deserve to be in jail," Bero said.
"I know this, I know this," the victim said.
The woman was heard saying she would try her best "to get all of these charges off".
Bero bashed the victim at her home on September 19, 2022 after the pair went to an Illawarra pub together, in defiance of an apprehended violence order put in place to protect the woman.
Documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court state Bero accused the victim of sleeping with another man before pushing her to the ground, causing her knees to graze.
Bero then followed the woman to her bedroom where he smashed her television, before punching her multiple times in the head.
A week later, Bero unleashed another attack on the woman at her unit, again after accusing her of cheating.
He forced her to sit on a couch and not leave until she admitted it. When she denied the allegation and tried to leave, he physically forced her back to the couch.
Bero then punched the woman in the head, torso, back and arms multiple times, despite her yelling at him to stop.
He then set a timer for 20 minutes and told the victim if she didn't make admissions to sleeping with another man, he would kill her family. Bero calmed down after she told him she had.
The next morning, the woman escaped from the unit and got in contact with support services, who assisted her in reporting the incident to police.
She was also taken to hospital for significant bruising. Bero was arrested that night.
He appeared in court from custody on Wednesday, May 24 and pleaded guilty to contravening an apprehended violence order, intentionally damaging property, intimidation, acting with intent to influence a witness, and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He will receive his date for sentence at Wollongong District Court on June 16.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
