A man jailed for trying to kill his then-girlfriend by setting her on fire has allegedly contacted her from prison in breach of a family violence order and pressured her to recant evidence.
Matthew John Davey was in 2021 sentenced to 18 years behind bars for attempted murder after the woman suffered catastrophic life-threatening burns to 68 per cent of her body.
Davey threw a mixture of petrol and diesel over her, and lit the fuel with a cigarette lighter at a home in Tasmania in 2017.
The 43-year-old appeared on Monday via video link in Hobart Magistrates Court accused of emotional abuse or intimidation in July and August 2024.
It is alleged Davey contacted the woman and made intimidating comments towards her, including trying to convince her she had caused her injuries.
He also allegedly pressured her to make a statement recanting evidence she gave that led to his conviction.
A family violence order states Davey cannot contact or attempt to contact the woman directly or indirectly.
He is accused of breaching the order 15 times from Hobart's Risdon Prison, including using the jail's phone to speak with her or attempt to speak with her.
In 2025, he allegedly arranged for family members to meet with the woman where she lives interstate.
Davey has pleaded not guilty to all 16 charges and the matter will return to court in April.
The court was told there were more than 400 pages of information relating to the case, as well as recordings of the alleged phone calls.
In 2021, sentencing judge Michael Brett said Davey's crime was family violence of the most serious kind.
"You treated (her) as your possession and when your ability to exert control was strongly challenged by her, you decided to end her life," Justice Brett said.
"You did so in a particularly cruel and horrific way, and as an arrogant expression of your dominance over her."
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