Brendan got a slap on the wrist for vile attack. Then he went to Bali

• Brendan Howe, 37, abused his ex-wife for four years
• She cried as she read her impact statement to the court

A building company director who got a slap on the wrist for attacking his heavily pregnant ex-wife and calling their unborn baby a ‘c**t’ has breached his sentencing conditions by jumping on a plane to Bali, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. 

Brendan Lionel Howe, 37, pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges of aggravated assault, two counts of common assault and one count of property damage during a four-year campaign of abuse against his ex-wife.

The ACT Supreme Court heard that he once held her against a wall when she was 34 weeks pregnant and, in front of their toddler, screamed: ‘I rule the roost of this house. You should worship the f***ing ground I walk on. You’re a f***ing bitch. You’re a mutt.’

‘If you and that little c*** inside of you can’t see that I’m the boss and when I wanna f***ing talk about something I’m gonna f***ing talk about [it] and she’s gonna know that and you’re gonna know that.’

He also threatened to kill her if she left him.

Howe, who has only spent one night in jail since his arrest, walked away from court last week with a fully suspended seven-month prison term, a one-year good behaviour bond, a $1,800 fine and 50 hours of community service.

Now, Howe has been issued with a formal warning because he travelled to Bali two days after sentencing – in a blatant breach of imprisonment conditions and good behaviour orders.

He had been ordered to stay in or near the ACT for a year after sentencing.

It is unclear if he travelled with his new girlfriend, but the court heard she is aware of his offending and supplied a reference to the court.

It is understood that Howe travelled to Bali on other occasions between his initial arrest and sentencing, and he missed supervised visits with his toddler last week in favour of his overseas trip.

He refused to comment on the matter when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

His building business, Homes by Howe – which works on multimillion-dollar developments around Canberra – appeared to operate as normal in his absence last week.

There were multiple building sites surrounded by his company logos, tradies were working on different sites, and he was taking bookings for new clients.

In 2022, Governor-General David Hurley was forced to apologise for a ‘spur of a happy moment’ decision to pose for a photo with Howe at the conclusion of a private renovation.

Mr Hurley said he did not intend for his photo or testimonial to be used in commercial advertising for Homes by Howe, and stressed that he did not receive any benefits.

During sentencing recently, Justice Louise Taylor said the business had generated ‘significant income’ but he had fallen into debt since his relationship breakdown due to legal fees and child support.

His ex-wife cried and shook uncontrollably as she delivered her victim impact statement last week, telling the court: ‘I was always the woman that said, “I’ll never be with a man who abuses me”.’

‘When you pinned me up against our bedroom door at 34 weeks pregnant, in front of [our daughter] – time stood still. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and that the man I loved, father of my children could actually kill me.

‘I tolerated this behaviour for so many years because of how much I loved you and ached for our family unit. I never wanted any of this. I was also scared of what you would do if I left. I was scared you would carry through with your threats.’

The woman said Howe had continually blamed her for his abuse, saying she deserved it because he earned the money and had anger issues, and told the court he never apologised to her.

She pleaded with the court to hold Howe accountable for his actions and the way he ruined her sense of safety and security in the world.

Justice Taylor described Howe’s comments about his unborn child as ‘truly awful’, acknowledged his wife’s trauma, and found he showed no genuine remorse.

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‘He is sad for himself,’ she said.

‘Perpetration of violence, usually by men against their female partners, is a familiar occurrence in this jurisdiction and across the country.’

She said these types of crimes have ‘life-altering consequences’ and it’s rare any sentence imposed by a court in such a case would help victims to simply move on and repair their lives.

However, she found he was motivated to change and had good prospects for rehabilitation.

Howe will appear in the ACT Magistrates Court for a new matter on June 24, during which he will be cross-examined.