A MILLICENT man has been jailed for almost two years over an attack on his ex-partner which the sentencing magistrate described as “sustained and vicious”.
Nicola Novakovich, 47, appeared via videolink in custody on a charge of aggravated assault with a weapon.
The court heard the victim was woken on November 5 by Novakovich kicking her to the head, telling her to clean their temporary motorhome.
After a verbal exchange, Novakovich grabbed the victim by the hair and punched her to the right eye before placing her into a choke hold until she became unconscious.
While the victim was on the ground, the defendant again kicked her to the back of the head before emptying the contents of a garbage bag on her head.
The victim fled the bus to run into the house on the property they were camping in, locking herself in the bathroom.
She attempted to return to the bus to collect her belongings when Novakovich threatened her with a whipper snipper, saying she should not have hit him first.
Counsel for the defense said Novakovich and his former partner’s use of methamphetamine was a “recipe for psychiatric breakdowns”, adding the defendant suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
Counsel for the defence urged Magistrate Teresa Anderson to impose a time served sentence of eight months, citing Novakovich’s mental health issues as being exacerbated due to further incarceration.
The defendant’s layer said Novakovich had been the intended recipient of “death threats” that had been intercepted by police, stemming from previous criminal charges, of which he was acquitted.
A psychiatric reported tendered to the court found while Novakovich’s post-traumatic stress disorder was a contributing factor, it was not the main cause of the assault.
The prosecution asked the court to consider the safety of the community in sentencing and referred to the defendant’s “prolific history of violence”.
Magistrate Teresa Anderson cited the victim impact statement, in which the woman said “she felt her life was going to end when she could not breathe”.
She said the offending had made the victim feel “humiliated, demoralised and worthless” and was intensified by the victim’s pre-existing heart condition.
“Applying pressure such that she lost consciousness is an extremely serious part of this incident,” Magistrate Anderson said.
“It was serious because she sustained bruises and thought she was not going to survive.”
Magistrate Anderson said eight months imprisonment did not reflect the severity of the crime, with a longer penalty needed to serve as a deterrent for both Novakovich and the community at large.
She took the defendant’s “lengthy” criminal history, life stresses and psychiatric assessment into consideration before imposing a head sentence of 25 months.
The sentence was reduced by 10pc to 22 and a half months, which was backdated to Novakovich entering custody in November.
He will be eligible for parole early next year.
