A dispute that started over a bag of Maltesers, which led a Tasmanian man to violently strangle his partner and assault her eight-year-old son, has ended in a prison sentence.
Mark Anthony Watkins, 34, attacked his 27-year-old partner while on holiday at a caravan park in Ulverstone on October 2, 2022.
The Supreme Court heard that Watkins, while heavily intoxicated, strangled the woman twice, including once while she was holding their baby.
He told her she would “die and not see her kids again” and when her eight-year-old son tried to intervene, Watkins threw the boy onto a bed.
He only stopped strangling her when she told him she was scared of losing consciousness, the court heard. The victim was left traumatised, with bruises on her neck, collarbone and chest.
The incident went unreported for about a month until Watkins was arrested for unrelated offences.
He later pleaded guilty to two counts of strangulation and one count of assault.
Justice Robert Pearce noted during sentencing that Watkins has an extensive history of family violence against multiple partners.
In 2022, he had served a 14-month sentence for 35 counts of breaching a family violence order, 10 counts of assault and one count of emotional abuse and intimidation.
The court heard that Watkins suffered severe injuries in a 2010 motorcycle crash that required partial removal of his frontal lobes.
“The brain injury affects your ability to cope with frustration and control your anger,” Pearce said.
“However, it is my duty to impose a sentence which reflects the objective seriousness of these crimes. Violence within relationships is an insidious, prevalent and serious problem in society.”
Justice Pearce said the crimes were “made even more serious” by the fact that they were committed in the presence of the victim’s eight-year-old son.
Watkins received a two-year-and-three-month sentence, backdated to 19 December 2024 and must serve at least half before parole eligibility.
