An Orange man who plucked the feathers off a dreamcatcher and used a doorstop to smash a car bonnet has landed in hot water in Orange court.
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The 34-year-old man is not named to protect the identity of the victims.
He was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and placed in the dock of Orange Local Court on Thursday, October 12.
Magistrate David Day said the man had previously entered a plea of guilt but was arrested after he didn't turn up to court to be sentenced.
"I know he wants to make a bail application but he didn't turn up for sentencing," Mr Day said.
However, he said he didn't intend to give the man a full-time jail sentence and gave him the opportunity to be sentenced on Thursday instead.
At the time of the offences the man was already subject to an intensive correction order.
"He appears to have a degree of difficulty with interpersonal relationships," Mr Day said.
"He's got a problem with women, doesn't he? They make up more than half the population."
The man was brought to court for intimidation and property damage committed on March 23, failing to appear in court and for breaching a previous community correction order he'd been given for a domestic violence offence committed against a different woman last year.
The offence
According to documents submitted to the court, the man walked to the front of a woman's house about 3.50pm and slammed the security door multiple times before grabbing a small dreamcatcher which was next to the front door.
He began to pluck parts of the dream catcher, damaging it, and he then began hitting the bonnet of a car with a small wooden door stopper.
The victim was at home and barricaded her front door.
The man was still hitting the bonnet of the car with the door stopper when the police arrived.
He was taken to Orange Health Service for treatment and did not cause any damage to the bonnet of the car despite hitting it multiple times.
He was arrested at Orange Health Service the next day and was charged with intimidating the woman and damaging the dream catcher.
Handed himself in
Solicitor Pravinda Pahalawela said his client handed himself in to the police after seeing his photo on Facebook and learning he was wanted.
Police prosecutor sergeant Beau Riley said the man's domestic violence offences crossed the custodial threshold but said a sentence could be served in the community.
Mr Day reviewed a background report that was presented to the court that showed an increase in offending behaviour when the man was using "illicit substances".
"He cannot remember a time when he offended when not under the influence of illicit substances," Mr Day said and added those substances included alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis.
"I note he has an extensive criminal record involving domestic violence, personal violence, property damage etc.
"If he keeps on committing domestic violence offences, [he] will find himself in the district court going for longer than I can send him [to jail] at the moment."
Community safety key
Mr Day focused the sentence on rehabilitation and community safety.
"If I was to lock [him] up, which he does deserve, I think he will be relatively drug free [in custody] but will come out and get back into his bad habits," Mr Day said.
"I need to look at what orders will better address community safety, an intensive correction order will [have] the least risk of reoffending.
"If he breaches it, I expect the state parole would revoke it."
If revoked, the man would complete the sentence in full-time jail.
The sentence
Mr Day "called up" the breached community correction order the man was on for common assault against a different female victim.
He resentenced the man to a six-month ICO, which is a community-based jail sentence.
Mr Day also gave the man a six-month ICO for the domestic violence property damage and three months for failing to appear in court so the total sentence will run for 15 months.
The 15-month ICO took into account a 25 per cent discount for the early guilty plea and will require the man to undergo rehabilitation and treatment and abstain from alcohol and drugs until January 11, 2025.
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