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Archives for May 2017

Coast Man Accused of Strangling Former Partner

By: Geoff Egan

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – A Sunshine Coast man is accused of grabbing his former partner by the throat, dragging her along the ground and pouring water down her throat.
Dean Middlebrook, 48, has been charged with domestic violence related offences including robbery, assault, strangulation and wilful damage.

He was denied bail in Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.

The court heard Mr. Middlebrook and his former partner were living in a Yandina home before their relationship broke down in late 2016.

The woman moved out of the house but returned on January 19, 2017 to pick up belongings. Mr. Middlebrook then allegedly spat on her, slapped her and sprayed water at her before she left.

In the days after, Mr. Middlebook allegedly sent the woman a series of texts looking to rekindle the relationship.

In late February, the woman returned to the house with a friend, again attempting to get her belongings. The court heard Mr. Middlebrook had told her he would not be home but was in fact there.

Mr. Middlebrook allegedly chased the friend off the property before turning his attention to his former partner.

He is accused of punching her, taking her wallet and car keys and throwing a metal pipe at her car. He then allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat and dragged her into the house before forcibly pouring water down her throat.

The court heard when police spoke to him about the incident he said he had been assaulted and had hosed her down because she looked red and hot.

Mr. Middlebrook applied for bail on Friday and offered to live in a different town from where his former partner lived and see a psychologist.

Justice David Boddice said he was concerned Mr. Middlebrook was charged with committing “escalating violence” against his former partner.

“(Mr. Middlebrook has) failed to accept it is not his right to determine what his former partner does or does not do,” he said.

Justice Boddice said he was concerned Mr. Middlebrook may again commit offences against the woman. Bail was refused.

Article Source: Coast Man Accused of Strangling Former Partner

Gov. Bullock Signs Bill to Protect Domestic Violence Victims

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BILLINGS, MT  – Governor Steve Bullock signed four bills into law over the weekend including one measure that is aimed at preventing domestic violence deaths.

State Sen. Margie MacDonald (D-Billings) is the main sponsor of Senate Bill 153, which makes strangulation of a family or partner member a felony crime. Gov. Bullock signed the bill at a ceremony for the Indian Regalia bill at Billings Senior High School on Saturday.

SB 153 allows prosecutors to charge a crime in strangulation cases, which attorneys say will prevent more domestic abuse and even homicide.

“What we often see in domestic violence situations is that a strangulation isn’t prosecuted because it’s difficult to do so,” Bullock said. “But that’s what escalates into unfortunately at times a fatality.”

“Many victims of strangulation don’t know how lethal it is and how potentially dangerous it can be,” said Ben Halverson, Deputy City Attorney for Billings and part of the city’s Domestic Violence Unit. “So we have struggled to get the right words from them to describe what they have gone through. Now this statute makes it much easier for them to experience justice and get some kind of protection from their abusers.”

Billings City Attorney Brent Brooks said making the crime a felony will help prosecutors, the victim and the abuser.

“It will have a deterrent effect,” Brooks said. “But it will also will help us get the additional time of supervision that you would not have under a misdemeanor to make sure these individuals get treatment if that’s appropriate. So this is a major, major step forward in addressing domestic violence.”

MacDonald worked with the Billings city attorney’s office in writing the bill.

EDITORIAL – Nonfatal Strangulation Should be Taken Seriously

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In 2008, the Journal of Emergency Medicine studied domestic violence cases where women were strangled nonfatally by their partners, and the results were chilling.

They found they were much more likely to be killed later by their partners, by as much as seven times. Researchers also found 43 percent of women who were ultimately murdered by their partners had been choked in the years prior to their death.

At first glance, the need for a law increasing the penalty for nonfatal strangulation might seem unnecessary. Wouldn’t placing your hands on someone else’s throat and squeezing to the point where they are unconscious or close to it be covered when simple or aggravated assault charges are brought? Some defense attorneys think such a law is unnecessary, overly broad and will eventually be overturned. We’ll see. In the meantime, we believe the creation of this law was imperative because of the gravity of the offense.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed the law last year making nonfatal strangulation a felony offense. By doing so, Pennsylvania joined the overwhelming majority of states that have placed similar statutes on the books. Before the law went into effect, most domestic abuse cases resulted in misdemeanor simple assault charges or, for cases where injuries were severe, felony charges of aggravated assault. But nonfatal strangulation merits the additional sanctions.

First, choking someone is more than just frightening. Even if it doesn’t result in death, injuries might not be readily apparent. Kristin Clingerman, an assistant district attorney in Washington County, pointed out that complications could arise as much as three days after the incident, including blood clots. “Their throats could later swell and they could suffocate,” she said. Neurological problems can also develop, and amnesia can take root because of oxygen deprivation, along with depression or even psychosis. While shoving or even slapping someone is nothing to take lightly, strangulation is clearly of a different order of magnitude.

Clingerman also pointed out to the Observer-Reporter’s Kathie O. Warco Tierne Ewing, who was killed by her estranged husband in a barn in West Finley Township last August, had also been choked prior to her death.

It’s important that first responders are trained to spot the signs of strangulation or suffocation, which involves an object like a pillow or hand being placed over a victim’s nose or mouth. Clingerman explained she tells police to look for, among other things, missing hair “because abusers also pull out hair. Look for lumps on the back of the head. The abuser may have put a forearm against the throat of the victim, pushing them against a wall.” Broken blood vessels are another telltale sign.

Not all that long ago, domestic violence was not accorded the seriousness it deserves. As recently as 1964, researchers published a paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry claiming that abusive relationships were therapeutic because the brawling would allow them to “balance out each other’s mental quirks.”

We’ve come a long way since then, and we should be thankful for that.