The Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday heard Lachlan Bruckshaw originally went to the Alfredton house on November 10 to verbally abuse a former partner, despite a court ordered intervention order prohibiting him from doing so.

Bruckshaw and a female co-accused are alleged to have entered the house and assaulted a friend of his former partner who was inside the house at the time.

Following the assault Bruckshaw took off with a wallet and set of keys which belonged to his former partner who had barricaded herself inside a room of the house. 

Bruckshaw also faced another two assault charges, this time involving the father of his former partner.

The court heard the woman’s father attended Bruckshaw’s house following the relationship breakup to pick up a dog the couple shared when he was hit in the head and leg with a wooden stick.

On another occasion Bruckshaw attended the man’s address and demanded to know where the man’s daughter and dog was.

Bruckshaw’s lawyer told the court her client was a contributing member of society until the end of that relationship.

She said Bruckshaw used ice for the first time on his birthday in November, 2015, which the lawyer described as the moment drugs took over his life. The lawyer told the court Bruckshaw’s life continued to rapidly deteriorated into 2016.

Detailing the offending, she said Bruckshaw became distressed after the breakup, particularly with the thought of the dog being taken away.

“He concedes he acted inappropriately,” the lawyer said. As for why Bruckshaw attended his former partner’s house on November 10, she told the court he went to get money owed to him which he wanted to use to cremate the dog who had recently died.

“He wasn’t thinking in a rational way,” the court head.

Urging the magistrate to consider a combined sentence of jail and a community corrections order, the lawyer said Bruckshaw was dedicated to rehabilitating.

Magistrate Hugh Radford said he would have jailed Bruckshaw for three years had he not pleaded guilty.

Instead he jailed Bruckshaw, who has already served 102 days, for two years and one month with a non-parole period of 12 months.

He was also fined $1500 for possessing and using drugs, and refusing two oral fluid tests.