A soldier will keep his role with the Australian Defence Force after he escaped conviction for the repeated abuse and "gaslighting" of his pregnant ex-partner.
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The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, sent a series of abusive messages to his ex-partner across more than two weeks in 2023.
These messages included calling the victim "f---ing stupid", telling her she had a "few screws loose" and that her mother didn't want her.
The man also told the pregnant victim he hoped her baby would "die of natural causes".
This abuse occurred at a time when the victim was protected by a family violence intervention order, and the man was questioned by police on December 9, 2023.
During a hearing in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on July 8, 2024, defence lawyer Dean Bloetz asked Magistrate Ronald Saines to provide his client with a sentence indication.
He said the man, who was a member of the ADF, would lose his role if convicted.
In a previous hearing, the man pleaded guilty to assaulting the same woman, for which he received a community corrections order without conviction.
As these offences occurred under the same set of circumstances, Mr Bloetz said his client could be sentenced without conviction again.
He said the man had also undertaken rehabilitative courses, including a men's behaviour change program and a mental health care plan, since last appearing in court.
This is what's regarded as gaslighting, undermining the mental health of someone.
- Magistrate Ronald Saines
In response, Mr Saines said he would fine the man without conviction, which was accepted by the defence.
Mr Saines described the man's abuse as an "insidious" example of family violence, but said he appeared to be progressing "adequately".
"This is what's regarded as gaslighting, undermining the mental health of someone," he said.
The man was fined $843 without conviction.
