A man choked his 14-year-old daughter in a headlock until she lost consciousness in what a judge has called "a highly disturbing experience".
In an ACT Supreme Court decision published last month, the man, who is aged in his 40s and cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence with a non-parole period of two years.
Justice Verity McWilliam said the choking was "deliberate and sustained" as well as "a serious example of what is itself a most serious offence".
The man previously pleaded guilty to aggravated choking, suffocating or strangling, aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and aggravated common assault.
In March 2025, the man's daughter and her 15-year-old boyfriend visited his home.
He was "substantially intoxicated" and started yelling abuse at his daughter before he tried to hug her.
She pushed him away before telling him to stop when he continued to try and grab her.
When the 14-year-old girl started dancing around the room to music playing from a speaker in her hand, the man chased her.
He grabbed her jumper and fell over while still holding her. This caused the girl to fall backwards and land on top of her father.
The man then wrapped his arm around her neck, placing her in a headlock, as she said: "Get the f--- off me" and "stop".
The girl tried to kick her father and call out for help but her voice became fainter and she felt scared and confused.
Her boyfriend saw she was pale and had shallow breathing. The 15-year-old boy tried to remove the man's arm but was not successful.
The girl lost consciousness for about 10 seconds and lost control of her bladder.
When the boy managed to move the man's arm away, he tapped on his girlfriend's leg as she slowly regained consciousness and managed to stand up.
When she started to cry and told her boyfriend they needed to run, her father became aggressive and called the boy a "f---wit".
"Don't hurt my daughter or I'll f--- you up," the father told the boy.
The man then walked towards the 15-year-old, grabbed the front of his jumper with both hands and threw him into a wooden kitchen bench.
The father then turned back to his daughter and pinned her against the wall. The girl kicked him and managed to escape with her boyfriend.
An ambulance was called when the boy was forced to stop walking due to a sharp pain in his ribs and difficulty breathing.
Justice McWilliam found that the father had a serious problem with alcohol which began at age 10 when he suffered alcohol poisoning.
While the man was found suitable for a sentence in the community with a focus on targeting sobriety and mental health challenges, the judge determined his crimes were too serious.
