But the man, 28, has a suspended jail term hanging over his head for 12 months after appearing in Albury Local Court for sentencing for assault with an act of indecency and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Magistrate Megan Greenwood put him on a 12-month suspended sentence for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm and an eight-month suspended sentence for the other matter.

She told him: “Domestic violence is prevalent in this part of NSW”.

“It is never acceptable to hit or touch a woman.”

Ms Greenwood said a child being present made the situation worse.

The man’s de facto is pregnant to him and sent a letter to court supporting him.

Solicitor Dave Barron said both had been using drugs at the time of the incident.

“He is the father of five children already with number six on the way,” Mr Barron said.

He said the man, who cannot be named, had completed an anger management course in jail.

The couple had been in a relationship for 12 months before being evicted from premises in Shepparton.

They had then moved to Berrigan.

The man argued with his partner on July 30 and threw her across the driver’s seat of a car when she was 20 weeks’ pregnant.

He straddled her, punched her to the left kidney region and dragged her by the hair into a bungalow where they argued for some time.

She was thrown on a bed and thought she was going to die when he put his hands around her neck.

Every time she tried to leave, she was dragged back by the hair.

The court was told the man pushed her down on a sofa, took her pants off and she had no underwear.

“I’m going to rape you,” he told her as she fought to get him off.

He left her on the couch and later they drove to town where she sought help and was taken to hospital.

Mr Barron said the man has had drug problems, initially using cannabis and later amphetamine when working as a truck driver.

He said the man’s partner was dealing with her drug addiction.