The Supreme Court of Tasmania has sentenced a man who struck a woman with a cricket bat, fracturing her arm and leaving her needing surgery and an overnight stay in hospital.
Nathan Brian Sproule, 53, was handed a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to the assault and to multiple breaches of a family violence order meant to protect the victim.
The court heard the assault happened at the woman’s home on November 9, 2023 – despite an order already banning Sproule from contacting her or being on the property.
The violence broke out in the early hours of the morning during an argument, after the woman asked Sproule to leave and refused to give back his computer bag.
Justice Michael Brett told the court the woman had picked up a cricket bat during the dispute, but Sproule snatched it from her and used it against her.
“You took the bat off her and struck her with it on the arm, in an attempt to have her release the bag,” he said.
“The blow must have been delivered with considerable force because it caused a fracture of her arm.”
In her victim impact statement, the woman said she still suffers pain from the attack, with ongoing twinges in her arm and neck.
Despite the seriousness of the assault, Justice Brett opted for a wholly suspended sentence.
He noted Sproule took the woman to hospital as she did not have a drivers licence and was having difficulty arranging an appointment.
“This was an act of serious family violence. A sentence of imprisonment is called for,” he said, but added that supervision would better support rehabilitation.
The court heard both Sproule and the woman had often ignored the protection order, spending time together by consent before the November incident.
Sproule’s record includes earlier breaches of family violence orders involving the same woman. In August 2023, he was convicted of breaching an interim family violence order and bail conditions.
Under the suspended sentence, he must serve 18 months of probation. The assault will also be permanently recorded on his criminal history as a family violence offence.
