A man allegedly told his pregnant partner "this is what you make me do" and told her to apologise to him after punching her in the stomach and dragging her by her hair, the ACT Magistrates Court was told on Monday.
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The 34-year-old alleged abuser was granted bail after being accused of hitting his partner in the head, dragging her across carpet by her hair and bashing her stomach with a closed fist when she tried to leave him on Sunday night.
The Woden man has been charged with three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.
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At about 10.30pm Sunday, the woman could hear her partner "vomiting inside the house and could smell an overwhelming stench of liquor" due to his drinking, police documents allege.
She sat on a couch to consume an apple when the accused abuser allegedly "swore at her to eat with her mouth shut".
The woman then told the man she was leaving him and grabbed her bag to leave the house.
He is accused of "grabbing onto her clothes, yelling at her with questions and ripping her top."
She then "moved to the floor, covered her face and shut her eyes in an attempt to protect herself".
The man allegedly pulled the woman off the ground by her hair, ripping a chunk out.
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Police said the woman, who was 12 weeks pregnant, tried to escape out the front door and begged the man to "let me go".
"This is what you make me do," the man allegedly said.
As she tried to escape from the front door he allegedly dragged her across the carpet by her hair, pulling out another chunk.
The man is then accused of punching the left side of her stomach with a closed fist, making her fear for the safety of her unborn child.
Court documents allege the man "requested that [the woman] apologise to him, when she got up and quickly escaped out the front door of the residence".
Police said when the mother-to-be fled from the house, she knocked on several neighbouring doors before someone finally answered and let her in.
Police said when they came to the house, the woman had a swollen left eye, carpet burn on her arm and blood on her shirt.
They said they found "two large chunks of hair" in the lounge room of the house.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker released the man on bail conditions and a special family violence interim order.
He is scheduled to re-appear on May 3.
Canberra Times has not named the man to protect the identity of the alleged victim.
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Lanie Tindale
I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
I am City reporter at The Canberra Times. I previously covered health for the masthead, and was a trainee before that. I have written on courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
