A Launceston chef has been spared jail after pleading guilty to violently assaulting his former wife during a drunken argument at a Hobart hotel nearly three years ago.
Matthew James Seggie, 49, was this month given a 10-month suspended sentence, ordered to complete 105 hours of community service and fined $5,000 in the Supreme Court.
The court heard Seggie and his then wife attended a concert in Hobart on December 9, 2022, before continuing to drink at a bar until after midnight.
Back at their hotel, the court heard an argument broke out.
Seggie repeatedly pushed his wife, grabbed her by the neck hard enough to snap her necklace and struck her ear with an open hand.
When she tried to leave, he tripped her and kicked the back of her head several times as she lay on the ground.
The woman, described as “distressed and highly emotional”, reported the assault to hotel staff.
She was later taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital with bruising to her head and neck, scratches and facial injuries.
Justice Robert Pearce said the kicks to the head were “a particularly dangerous form of assault”.
“Violence is a breach of the trust inherent within relationships,” he said.
“Punishment and general deterrence are powerful sentencing factors.”
The court was told the assault happened while Seggie was already subject to a police family violence order issued in May 2022, which Justice Pearce said made the offence more serious.
Seggie, who had no prior convictions for violence, initially denied the allegations but later pleaded guilty after prosecutors dropped a strangulation charge.
He spent three days in custody following his arrest and has since separated from his wife. The couple are now divorced.
Seggie must comply with strict conditions for the next two years. If he breaches them, he could serve the full 10-month sentence.
