Jailed over attacks on girlfriend, 16

A former Gnowangerup man has been jailed for 10 months over a string of aggravated assaults on his 16-year-old girlfriend.

Albany Magistrate’s Court was told Taj Christopher Ward, 19, took a baseball bat to his partner’s knees, pushed her out of a window and left her with fractures to the face and arm in three assaults in late September and early October.

The first was on September 23 in Gnowangerup, when the pair were exiting a window of the bedroom they were living in.

The court was told Ward became angry at the speed in which his girlfriend was climbing out of the window before pushing her.

She fell on to a sharp metal pole, leaving a 9cm gash on her lower left back. Ward’s defence counsel said he did not know the pole was there when he pushed her.

The pair would lock their bedroom door and leave via the window so others living in the home could not enter their room.

His partner sought medical attention two weeks later.

On October 3, Ward hit the 16-year-old girl with a baseball bat, once on each knee, after the couple had an argument in their bedroom, resulting in bruising to her knees.

The following day, Ward backhand slapped his girlfriend to the face a number of times, causing her to receive a swollen jaw, bruising to the face and a nasal fracture.

He then twisted the 16-year-old’s arm behind her back, leaving her with a displaced arm fracture.

After moving to Kalgoorlie in the wake of the assaults, Ward handed himself into police on October 15, where he was taken into custody.

Magistrate Raelene Johnston told Ward the assaults would have been extremely intimidating.

“She was 16 at the time ... there’s no place for domestic violence in a relationship,” Ms Johnston said.

Ward was made eligible for parole.