Nathan James Craven denied bail after allegedly choking and gouging his girlfriend’s eyes

A Warnbro man who allegedly choked his girlfriend and gouged both her eyes with his thumbs has had his bail application denied. During a 24-hour period, Nathan James Craven, 35, allegedly went on a violent spree against his girlfriend, hitting her while she was in the shower, tackling her to the ground outside their home and punching her multiple times. Police prosecutor Sen. Sgt Naomi Foster said that on October 21, Mr Craven and his girlfriend were at their Warnbro address when she decided to go and have a shower. Agitated for unknown reasons, Mr Craven allegedly walked into the bathroom, opened the shower door and hit the victim in the head, before dragging her back into the bedroom where she fell asleep. Later that night the victim woke up and went to put her phone on charge. Mr Craven allegedly chased her outside of their house and tackled her to the ground. He allegedly punched her multiple times before dragging her back into the house again. About midnight, the pair woke up and Mr Craven allegedly began yelling at the victim over Facebook messages. He used his hand to hit her in the face before striking her multiple times with her phone, cracking the screen. Sen. Sgt. Foster said the following morning, on October 22, Mr Craven allegedly sat on top of the victim in bed. He used his thumbs to gouge both her eyes and used his hands to choke her causing her to lose consciousness. Police arrived and saw the red marks on her neck and throat and Mr Craven was arrested. Mr Craven appeared in Rockingham Magistrates Court via video link from Hakea prison last week, charged with four counts of criminal assault, one count of impeding another persons normal breathing, and one count of criminal damage. Lawyer Fabian Ponton said his client disputed the facts of the charges and Mr Craven and his girlfriend planned to work through their issues and continue their relationship. He also told the court strict conditions could be put in place to ensure Mr Craven could be released safely on bail. Magistrate Joanne Andretich said she was concerned for the victim’s safety, and even though Mr Craven’s girlfriend wanted to continue their relationship, she wasn’t convinced Mr Craven wouldn’t attack her again. She also said that victims of domestic violence often don’t realise the danger they are in because they are “caught in the web of violence” against them. Ms Andretich denied Mr Craven’s bail application and remanded him in custody to appear on December 8 via video link. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)