A CONVICTED murderer who pleaded guilty to threatening to kill his former partner will spend the next four years behind bars.
Paul Aaron Haseloff, 44, was sentenced in the County Court at Ballarat on Thursday to four years and three months’ jail, with a minimum of three years and three months’ jail to be served.
Haseloff had been in a relationship with a woman, who knew he had been convicted of shooting and killing his former partner in 1997, when the offending occurred in February 2015.
The court was told the woman’s child witnessed one incident where Haseloff threw her into a door and armed himself with a beer bottle which he smashed while saying, “You’re dead dog”.
In another incident on February 8, 2015, the woman returned to her house after spending the night away and saw the accused, who said “you’ve got questions to answer”, standing behind a fence with a sawn-off gun.
The victim sped off in her car with her son as the accused put the gun down his pants and followed her.
Hasseloff forced the woman to swerve after he overtook her and braked directly in front. The woman continued to drive at a fast speed when Hasseloff pulled up beside her and said “I’m going to get you and kill you, you dog”, before ramming her car.
The woman was so frightened of Haseloff, she sought refuge at a police station, the court was told.
In sentencing, Judge Wendy Wilmoth said Haseloff’s offending was serious, especially with a child present.
“It’s extremely sad that (the victim’s) son has been subject at a young age, not only witnessing your violence but being a victim as well,” Judge Wilmoth said.
She said the former carpenter’s risk of reoffending was assessed at being moderate to high and took the view that three years’ imprisonment, urged by Haseloff’s barrister, was unsufficient.
Judge Wilmoth took into account Haseloff’s early guilty plea, his indication of remorse and his desire to change. She said the sentence was not crushing.
Haseloff’s mother was supporting him in the court room while the sentence was read out.
Haseloff last week pleaded guilty to one count each of being a prohibited person possessing a firearm, threatening to kill, criminal damage, reckless conduct endangering serious injury and two counts of unlawful assault.
He has already served 402 days in custody.
