A KIRKSTALL man questioned during a murder investigation has jumped at the chance to take a five-and-a-half month jail sentence.
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Kevin Timothy Knowles, 43, of Atkinson Street, said "I'll take that" before his solicitor could speak during a hearing in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday.
The charges do not relate to the murder investigation.
Knowles finished up pleading guilty to recklessly causing injury to his girlfriend, unlawful assault, threatening to inflict serious injury, trespass, obtaining property by deception, breaching bail, theft of a car, breaching bail and twice lighting a fire in the open air.
He has already been in custody for 60 days, which will be discounted from the jail sentence.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan said charges in relation to Knowles assaulting his girlfriend were high-end family violence.
Previously Senior Constable Adrian Dolman, of the south-west police family violence unit, said Knowles and had been in a relationship since August last year.
He said Knowles had been charged with recklessly causing injury on November 17, theft of a car and driving while disqualified on November 29 and obtaining financial advantage by deception on November 14.
The theft of a car involved Knowles taking a Colac car for a test drive.
He and the woman went to Bendigo after their car broke down near Colac.
Koroit police assisted a woman on January 26 while she was walking to Warrnambool.
She had suffered a black eye, said Knowles had punched her to the face the night before and she made a statement to police.
In that statement she said Knowles acted irrationally "when on gear" or ice.
She said physical assaults had escalated since Christmas last year.
The woman said she became frightened after Knowles grabbed her by the throat and held her mouth and nose so she couldn't breathe.
In another incident she claimed Knowles dragged her from the house and off a 1.5 metre high porch to show her damage she had caused to his car.
She said that at other times she had been threatened with a knife and Knowles said he would bury her while he was driving along a dirt track.
Knowles was arrested and held in custody after allegedly assaulting his partner on January 26.
Knowles had 37 pages of prior convictions involving 269 charges.
On Monday Knowles asked again about the three days he and the woman had spent in custody while being questioned during the murder investigation.
The magistrate said that time could not be taken into account.
The couple was arrested and interviewed by Victoria Police homicide squad detectives after the death of Warrnambool's Stephen Johnston on December 8.
Police believe there was an incident at Mr Johnston's Suzanne Crescent house on the night of Wednesday, December 7.
An ambulance was called to the house early in the afternoon of the following day and Mr Johnston was taken to the Warrnambool Base Hospital where he died later that night.
Knowles and the woman were arrested and interviewed in relation to the circumstances of the man's death.
They were released on Friday, December 10 and not charged.
Medical experts have provided reports into the cause of Mr Johnston's death.
Warrnambool police Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Canavan said the cause of Mr Johnston's death may have been compounded by a combination of pre-existing health issues.
He said other than the two people arrested for questioning, there were no other persons of interest.
