An Illawarra business owner is accused of threatening to kill and "put a curse" on his teenage daughter days before she was due to testify against him in court.
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The man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, was arrested the day after he was found guilty in a hearing on Wednesday, May 22 of grabbing his daughter by the hair and slamming her head against a surface.
He was also found guilty of turning up at her home with a chainsaw.
Tendered court documents state the man, aged in his 40s, allegedly called his nephew three days before the hearing and said: "Tell [my daughter] that if I don't go to jail on Wednesday, I will kill her."
Police allege the nephew called the girl the day before the hearing and told her of the threat made by her father, which made her scared to take to the witness stand.
As she was giving evidence in court the next day, she became visibly distraught and was paused to inquire about what was wrong. It was at this point she disclosed the alleged threats to police.
The girl called her cousin, who lives in another country, to allow him to provide a statement to police.
The cousin told officers the man said he intended to leave Australia after the hearing to undergo a spiritual ritual to bring sickness onto his daughter to kill her, which he explained is considered serious in their culture.
He also said the man has already made several attempts to bring sickness onto the girl.
The man was arrested at Wollongong courthouse at around 3pm on Wednesday.
He applied for bail the next day after being charged with attempt to intimidate, intimidation, attempt to breach an apprehended violence order, and contravene an apprehended violence order.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Manning argued against the man's release, saying he had only just been found guilty of serious offences against his daughter that he would be serving a lengthy period in jail for upon sentence.
"This is the third matter in relation to her," Sgt Manning said.
Defence lawyer Jim Allen said the case against the man was weak due to the witness living overseas, however the magistrate opted to deny bail due to the seriousness of the allegations.
The man will be sentenced in July for assaulting and intimidating his daughter. He is yet to enter pleas to his new charges.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence contact the national sexual assault, domestic violence counselling service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
