Holiday stalker refused bail

By Cam Lucadou-Wells

A man has been refused bail for allegedly stalking his Emerald ex-partner, including following her during a Queensland family holiday to “pee them off”.
The man allegedly booked into the same Gold Coast apartments as the victim and her children, after he had been uninvited from the trip, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard.
During the mid-August holiday, he allegedly taunted the family as he swam at the apartments’ pool.
On one occasion during the night he reportedly yelled from outside the woman’s unit: “Are there any water facilities? F*** you and your family.”
She reported the incident to Queensland police.
Victoria Police informant Sergeant Chris Marlow told the court that prior to the holiday, the victim received 23 “harassing” texts from the man.
One stated: “You’re going to regret getting me out of your life, believe me.”
Another threatened that she’d need to dig a hole for her pet dog, the court heard.
“I thought I’d have a chance to explain matters at Queensland,” the self-represented man told the bail hearing on Monday 9 October.
He allegedly breached a court intervention order to protect the victim and her children after the holiday.
In defiance of the order, he allegedly sat in a car nearby as one of the children caught his school bus several times, and approached the ex-partner on a Croydon hotel dancefloor.
“Nice top,” he told her as she walked past him on the way to her car. “It’s the one I bought you.”
However he told the hearing: “I was not aware I’d have to have left (the venue).
“I thought I was there first.”
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen told the man: “You’re the respondent to the intervention order. It doesn’t work like that.”
The man replied that he was living a stable life, just going to work and coming home.
“I’ve moved on. I’ve got no ties to (the complainant) and her family,” the man said.
“I’m happy. I’ve no intentions of bothering the … family anymore.”
Mr Vandersteen noted the two months of alleged recent offending “and you’re saying as of last month that you’re over her?” he said.
He refused bail, noting that the man had been found guilty of dousing petrol on another ex-partner and child’s beds and threatening to set it on fire in 2012.
The man had failed to show cause for his release, given the risk of re-offending and interfering with witnesses, Mr Vandersteen said.
The man was remanded in custody to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 17 October.