A woman knocked out after being headbutted by her partner says she fled the Border after the incident to escape.
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Brodie A'vard was sentenced in the Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Monday after attacking Raychel Lewis at Bright in February.
He headbutted her after a night of drinking, causing her to fall back and hit her head, rendering her unconscious.
Ms Lewis required multiple stitches in her head, had bruising to her face and a cut lip.
The North East footballer received a $1200 fine, without conviction, on charges of recklessly causing injury and property damage.
Ms Lewis, who told The Border Mail she was frustrated by the penalty, said she is still shaken.
She made accusations of previous violence involving A'vard, her partner of three-and-a-half years, to investigators.
The incident at Bright was her breaking point that pushed her to return to Queensland amid concerns for her safety.
"I moved to escape from him," she said.
Ms Lewis said she first saw A'vard's anger when he kicked down doors and said his behaviour escalated.
She told police she had been pushed into a TV unit and dragged by her shirt, causing her to choke, and was punched in the face during another incident.
Those allegations weren't aired in court.
But Ms Lewis told the court through her victim impact statement she continued to suffer after the Bright incident.
"I feel like my enjoyment of life is low," she said.
"Brodie's actions on that day have taken away my happiness and my confidence.
"My mental health is not where it should be.
"From his abuse it has caused me to feel fear, guilt, shame, embarrassment, self-doubt, insecurity, powerlessness, and betrayal.
"And although some of the physical wounds may heal, I continue to suffer emotionally, and this will have a lasting impact on my quality of life.
"When I think about the assault, I feel angry because Brodie hurt me again even though he promised he would not.
"I am angry because he made me feel like I was worthless."
The court was told A'vard had taken steps to change following his arrest after the February 13 incident.
"He hasn't just gone there to tick the boxes, he's actually engaged meaningfully in the process," lawyer Geoff Clancy said of a court program A'vard has undertaken.
Mr Clancy said it was one of the best Court Integrated Services Program reports he had read.
"He has gone above and beyond rehabilitating himself in the adjourned period," he said.
The court heard he had a prior for unlawful assault in 2015 and another prior for property damage.
The court in April heard A'vard had been interviewed on allegations of previous assaults, but had not been charged and appears to have no matters pending.
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Ms Lewis said she wanted to speak out about the impact of domestic violence.
"He almost killed me," she said and broke down in tears, noting how hard it was to talk about what happened.
"A lot of people have reached out to me since the incident.
"The system is not fair.
"I want to be a voice for domestic violence victims."
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