Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Gregory Geason faces a court hearing after pleading not guilty to assault and one count of emotional abuse or intimidation.
A judge has denied punching his ex-partner and pushing her onto a mantelpiece, telling the court she was unsteady, fell and hit her head on a table.
Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Gregory Geason faces a court hearing after pleading not guilty to assault and one count of emotional abuse or intimidation.
A woman, whose name cannot be released, claimed Geason became “enraged” on the night of Oct. 31, 2023, over a photo she received on her phone from a male co-worker.
She previously told the court that Geason shook her, punched her in the chest and pushed her so hard she hit her head on the mantelpiece.
Geason, who concluded his testimony in Hobart Magistrates Court on Monday, said the woman never hit her head on the mantelpiece.
He also denied hitting her or causing the bruises allegedly found on her neck, ribs, shins, calves and knees.
Geason said he sat in a chair during the incident to be in a “safe space” and to retreat.
He said he used an open hand gesture to say “stop” as the woman approached him, but neither of them used any force.
“I had no intention of connecting with her, (but) it was inevitable that, with her standing next to me… there would be a connection,” he told the court.
Geason said the woman then turned to walk toward the kitchen, but was unsteady because she had had too much to drink.
A woman, who cannot be identified, claimed Geason became “enraged” on the night of Oct. 31, 2023, over a photo she received on her phone from a male co-worker.
She said she brushed the mantelpiece with her left cheek while standing, before “falling hard” and hitting her head on the side of the table.
“He was definitely under the influence of alcohol. That was evident from his movements and the way he spoke,” Geason said.
Geason said the “logical explanation” for the bruises on the woman’s arms was his efforts to grab her and help her to her feet after she fell.
He said he had to use “all the strength necessary” to lift her because she was “dead weight.”
Geason, who is on leave from his duties as a judge, told the court he went to bed and cried because he was upset about how the situation was handled.
“I felt like it was a poor and immature response on my part to a situation… I felt like I could have handled it a lot better,” she said.
The court was told Geason conducted multiple internet searches for domestic violence services and anger management support in the days following the alleged assault, before being charged.
He said a search for “how to get domestic violence charges dismissed – step by step guide” was “supposedly” in anticipation of what would happen.
“When one feels misjudged and unfairly accused, one looks for anything that can provide a thread for argument,” he said.
The court said Geason also searched for “the best songs to apologize to” and sent messages to the woman asking her not to leave him and that he was an “idiot.”
He said he accepted responsibility for the escalation of the incident, but not for the assault reported by the woman.
Geason said he was strip searched and held in a police cell for six hours after being charged.
The final two witnesses are expected to appear at the hearing on Tuesday.
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