A 37-year-old man accused of a violent domestic incident at Mount Hutton in which he allegedly choked and assaulted a woman while a child was in the house has been refused bail, with a magistrate finding he had not shown cause for his release.
The man, named in court as Jacob Fing, of Floraville, faced Newcastle Bail Division Court on Wednesday charged with seven offences following the alleged incident on Tuesday, August 4.
Police were called to a Mount Hutton property just before 4pm after a report of domestic violence. Officers allege they found a rifle-style gel blaster and magazine, two tasers and taser cartridges inside a black storage container in the garage.
The court heard the same container held Mr Fing's driver's licence.
Mr Fing was arrested a short time later at a Floraville address and was already the subject of an enforceable Firearms Prohibition Order and Weapons Prohibition Order, issued in February 2021 while he was in custody at Belmont.
He is charged with intentionally choking a person without consent (domestic violence), assault occasioning actual bodily harm (domestic violence), destroying or damaging property (domestic violence), stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm (domestic violence), possessing an unauthorised firearm, acquiring a firearm while subject to a prohibition order, and possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit.
He is yet to enter any pleas.
Defence lawyer Georgia Redman argued the prosecution case was "neutral" in relation to the domestic violence charges, submitting it rested on a one-on-one account, with a witness said to have overheard part of the alleged incident.
The court was told Mr Fing intends to defend the matter on the basis of self-defence, and that he alleges he holds audio recordings and mobile phone evidence supporting his account.
On the firearms charges, Ms Redman submitted the items were located in a "common area" of the alleged victim's home and that while Mr Fing's driver's licence was found nearby, it did not establish possession.
Ms Redman proposed Mr Fing be released to live with his elderly parents, submitting his father is disabled and that Mr Fing generally assists his parents around the home.
The prosecutor opposed bail.
It was submitted the offending was serious and, taking the police facts at their highest, aggravated by a child being present in the residence during the alleged incident. The court heard a domestic violence evidence-in-chief (DVEC) recording was obtained a short time after the alleged assault, along with photographs said to show bruising to the complainant's left eye, both legs and wrist, and a complaint of pain to the face and jaw consistent with the allegations.
The prosecutor also disputed the "common area" characterisation of where the weapons were found, submitting the gel blaster, tasers and Mr Fing's driver's licence were located together inside a separate, closed storage container rather than left in the open.
The court was told Mr Fing was convicted in the District Court in 2021 over unauthorised firearm offences and served a prison term with a minimum of two years and eight months.
He is also currently subject to a community corrections order, due to expire in August 2027, for supplying a prohibited drug, and received a conditional release order without conviction over a 2021 breach of an AVO.
Magistrate James Viney said he was satisfied Mr Fing had not shown cause as to why his detention was not justified, and bail was refused.
Mr Fing will next appear at Belmont Local Court on August 17.
