A persistent family violence offender has been given a final chance by a local magistrate and police after pleading guilty to harassing an ex-partner. The accused appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Thursday pleading guilty to family violence intervention order breaches, drug driving and suspended driving. The court heard the man was arrested on multiple occasions for breaching the order and told police he accused the victim of lying to get an intervention order. Between 1 November and 15 November 2025 the man contacted the victim 360 times by phone. In the messages the man accused his ex-partner of seeing other men and of destroying their relationship. On 15 May this year, after being arrested for further harassment of the victim, he was caught drug driving in a Kenworth truck with a suspended driver’s licence. The court heard a psychologist report found the man had acknowledged his wrongdoing and was committed to seeking help for his methylamphetamine addiction. Police prosecutor Sergeant Sarah Williamson said police saw this as a “final chance” for the accused who had continually breached court orders despite serving jail terms. “The accused has not been without similar opportunities to rectify his behaviour,” she said. The man had served 140 days behind bars prior to his sentence. Magistrate Ian Watkins sentenced the accused to time served and placed him on an 18-month community corrections order which will require treatment for drug addiction and mental health as well as supervision. “We’ve had this conversation before,” he said. “Who she sees is none of your business… the order is on you and the court expects you to comply with it,” he said. The man also had his driver’s licence disqualified for 12 months.
