At the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to a spate of charges including four counts of persistently contravening a family violence intervention order, threatening to inflict serious injury, using a drug of dependence and two bail condition contraventions.
The man, who has had multiple stints in jail for crimes relating to his former partner, called her 3746 times and texted her 4435 messaged between May 14 and July 16 last year, with Magistrate David Faram describing the language in the messages as "vile and derogatory", stating he had no doubt they were intended to raise fear for the victim and her mother's safety.
He was charged with threatening to inflict serious injury for texting the victim on July 13, stating; "best you run, I'm guna shoot you".
The recent charges continued a lengthy pattern of offending from the man towards the victim, which included him spending 60 days in prison in 2019 for a range of charges including unlawful assault, stalking and making threats to kill.
He received another custodial sentence in April 2020, serving 114 days for similar offences including stalking, making threats to kill, and six charges of persistently contravening a family violence intervention order.
After a Corrections Victoria assessment found the accused not suitable for a community correction order based on multiple prior breaches, the accused's defence solicitor Luke Slater argued his client was "trending towards lower-risk offending" and said he wanted a "final opportunity to not let anyone down again".
A victim-impact statement was relied upon in sentencing, but was not read in court, however, Mr Faram said he expected the victim's recovery would be "lengthy".
Mr Faram said psychiatric reports showed the man was "finally demonstrating some insight" into his offending, but added his crimes needed serious punishment.
“It is the court's expectation in a family violence order, or any other matter, that these orders are obeyed,” he said.
“It is also important that the community understands the behaviour you have pleaded guilty to is completely and absolutely unacceptable in any circumstance whatsoever.”
The man was sentenced to eight months imprisonment - 165 days of which had already been served at the time of sentencing - as well as an 18-month community correction order.
He also received six months imprisonment for breaching a previous community corrections order - 114 days of which had already been served - with the balance to be served concurrently with the other sentence.
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