Cronulla Shark threat to kill girlfriend
Updated: 17:11, Wednesday January 25, 2012
NRL Cronulla Sharks winger Isaac Gordon is on a good-behaviour bond for an assault he barely remembers in which he threatened to kill his pregnant girlfriend.
Gordon, 25, pleaded guilty to common assault on Wednesday at Sutherland Local Court after he negotiated a plea deal with police prosecutors.
Police withdrew the more serious charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Gordon's parents made the 12-hour trip from their home in western NSW to attend court with the NRL player, who wore a dark suit and a white shirt and showed no emotion.
His lawyer James Barnett said Gordon's memory of the incident was 'hazy'.
'He now has a child with this woman,' Mr Barnett told the court. 'It's only a young baby.'
Gordon attended the club's end-of-season formal function on September 28 last year and returned home to the couple's Sylvania unit, in Sydney's south, about 7am (AEDT) the next day.
His de-facto partner Karen Lee Davison, who was seven months pregnant, confronted him about his late arrival, court documents state.
Ms Davison told police Gordon smelled of liquor and had bloodshot eyes.
He began verbally abusing her, saying: 'Hit me, hit me. I'll hit you back. It's self-defence. I'll kill you fing bitch,' the court documents state.
Ms Davison pushed Gordon's face away and he grabbed her by the chin and pushed her head against the wall.
She grabbed his car keys and the pair wrestled, with Ms Davison landing on a mattress on the floor.
'The accused bit the victim on her right hand,' the court documents state.
Gordon then collected the keys and his wallet and drove away.
Mr Barnett told magistrate Sharon Holdsworth that Gordon had no prior criminal record.
The Sharks' general manager Darren Mooney provided a character reference for Gordon.
'Isaac has had quite a few personal issues to deal with of late, and he is now seeing a counsellor on a weekly basis,' Mr Mooney wrote.
'He is a pleasure to have around and never causes any trouble at all.'
The magistrate handed Gordon an 18-month good-behaviour bond and a 12-month apprehended violence order (AVO).
'This was a nasty domestic assault,' Ms Holdsworth said.
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