A man who police allege repeatedly kneed, punched, stabbed and tried to choke his ex-girlfriend while holding her captive for five days has been refused bail.
A local court heard Grant Mills, 31, abducted his former partner in broad daylight at Windsor before locking her in a caravan for five days and subjecting her to violent assaults.
She managed to escape and seek police help when Mills was reporting to police as part of his bail conditions for another matter. The woman told officers she had been in an "on again off again" relationship with Mills for 12 months but said the two had not been in contact for six or seven months prior to the incident.
Police allege Mills and an unknown man drove up alongside the woman, walking near the intersection of George Street and Hawkesbury Valley Way last Tuesday, before Mills dragged the woman into the back of a car, telling her he'd hold her hostage for four to five days then kill her.
Police facts tendered to Penrith Local Court said during the next five days, Mills kept the woman in his van at Windsor Riverside Van Park at Wilberforce, repeating his threats to kill her if she tried to leave.
The woman later told police she was woken on Sunday morning at about 4am by Mills yelling that God had told him to kill her because "she was not a nice person".
Mills then reportedly said, "I'm not going to kill you yet, I'm going to wait until 5pm this afternoon. I'm going to kill you slowly...I'm going to hit you, cut you or knee you in the face...after I head butt you I'm going to shake you to death."
For five hours Mills allegedly abused the woman, kneeing and punching her in the face and repeatedly trying to choke her. At one stage he used a stainless steal kitchen knife to stab the woman in the shin at least five times and once in the forehead.
Police facts said Mills's father arrived at the park at 9am and took his son and the woman to Windsor Police Station so Mills, who was already on bail awaiting trial on another violent crime, could report to police.
The woman managed to escape the vehicle while Mills was inside the station. She hid in the rear yard of the police station among vehicles before reporting the matter to police.
Officers noted the woman had a severely bruised and swollen eye, cuts to her left leg and forehead and bruising on other parts of her body.
Police executed a warrant at Mills caravan at 6pm that night, with forensic evidence allegedly discovering drops of blood on two pillow cases.
The knife allegedly used to stab the woman was also seized.
Mills was arrested and taken to Windsor Police Station where he declined to be formally interviewed.
He was charged with detaining a person to obtain advantage (domestic-violence related) and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Mills was bail refused overnight, appearing before Penrith Local Court at around 2.30pm on Monday afternoon on an application for bail.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Daniel Winter told court magistrate George Zdenkowski the Crown opposed bail for Mills, noting his lengthy history on the wrong side of the law, including a stint in jail and convictions for violent crimes and that he was already on bail at the time of the offence.
"There is evidence from a previous breach of bail matter that the accused may not be willing to attend court and he has demonstrated a disregard for court orders with breach of an AVO on his record," Sgt Winter said.
Mills' Legal Aid solicitor acknowledged her client's poor record and bail status at the time of the event, but told the court Mills was willing to be prohibited from being in any area the victim resided in and would report to police on a daily basis.
She said nothing indicated that blood found in the caravan belonged to the victim and that her client would be defending the matter.
Magistrate Zdenkowski said the police facts presented a serious assault that left the victim with a number of injuries.
"Even worse Mr Mills, you come before the court at a time when you're already facing a court matter for recklessly causing grievous bodily harm," he said.
"In addition to that you have a long history of criminal offences including periods in custody for violence."
Magistrate Zdenkowski denied Mills bail, adjourning the matter to Penrith Local Court this Friday.
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