By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
AN ICE-user has been jailed for nine months for striking and detaining his partner in their Noble Park home while he was on a suspended sentence.
In Dandenong Magistrates’ Court last Monday, Michael Golota, 31, tearfully studied his partner and six-month-old toddler in the gallery while he was being led away to the cells.
He was sentenced to six months’ jail for the charges on top triggering the three-month suspended sentence.
Magistrate Pauline Spencer also imposed a 12-month intervention order to protect the partner and son.
She said family violence was unacceptable and caused harm to partners and even affecting their children’s brain development.
“(Children) can sense the insecurity and the fear going on. Studies show it has far-reaching effects on children.
“It’s aggravated by the fact there was a family violence safety notice to give people a break and make people feel safe.”
Ms Spencer said a community-based order would be an inappropriate sentence given Golota had breached three previous orders.
“What we know with ice use is it causes problems with people’s moods. There’s a heightened risk of family violence.”
Police prosecutor First Constable Tanique McFarlane told the court that Golota hit his wife in the face with his left hand and dragged her inside the house twice as she tried to escape to call police last month.
During a series of arguments that day, Golota pushed the her around the house and knocked her to the ground while she carried their child.
The child was accidentally struck on the head by both parties and suffered some minor bruising, First Constable McFarlane said.
The court was told that Golota was subsequently served with a safety notice banning him from the house and from being within five metres of the victim, yet he answered the door when child protection workers visited a day later.
He complied with instructions to leave the house, returning 10 minutes later “asking for a phone”, First Constable McFarlane said.
He was arrested and has remained in custody since 21 October.
Defence lawyer Siva Kandasamy said a remorseful Golota, who admitted he was a weekly user of the drug ‘ice’, had acted “out of character”.
His client’s prior convictions included a traffic-related charger of recklessly causing injury as well as property, drug and other traffic offences.
“There’s not a history of violence,” the lawyer said.
“There seems an issue of managing stress.”
Ms Spencer replied: “Weekly ice use will be causing you changes of mood and changes of temper.”
