Content warning: This article discusses domestic violence.
Sam Messina, whose claim to fame was through the Channel 7 dating show Farmer Wants A Wife, has been found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend on three occasions.
In a two-day-long hearing, Illawarra court heard that Messina hit his ex-girlfriend so hard she bled for weeks.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Magistrate Michael Ong, ruled him guilty of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The abuse occurred in 2019, a year before Messina starred on the show, but the accusations came to light in 2021.
As reported by The Telegraph, Messina’s ex-girlfriend said during her time in the relationship; she faced abuse and intimidation.
She also said she was physically abused four times throughout 2019.
The first assault occurred in March 2019, during an argument the two were having from either side of their bedroom door. Messina pushed the door onto the victim’s foot, causing pain in two of her toes.
She then described an intensely volatile situation, where she claimed Messina threw her onto the floor by her clothes, leaving her with scratches on her chest. In the same month, he punched her in the face.
She said, as a result, every time she sneezed in the following month, her nose would bleed.
Messina was accused of a fourth assault, with the victim claiming she was whipped by a phone charging cable after she woke him up for an appointment.
Although, Magistrate Ong said the accusation could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court was told their relationship was “controlling and abusive”; however, Messina denies the allegations, saying he never assaulted his ex.
The Farmer Wants A Wife alum pleaded not guilty to the four counts of assault at Port Kembla Local Court. He did, however, enter a guilty plea to two counts of intimidation after he showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s mother’s home and threatened to kill her pet rabbits.
The court was told earlier that the victim continued to live at the home she shared with Messina and a housemate for a few months after they broke up before moving back to her mother’s house in Illawarra.
During the hearing, the woman said she only built up the courage to report the allegations after the threats made against her mother’s pets in February last year.
Police prosecutor Sargeant Ben Bragger told the court that the delay in reporting the alleged crime should not impact her credibility, saying she was a victim of a “toxic relationship”.
“In 2022 delay is not a reason to attack credibility,” he said.
“Women who are victims of domestic violence have many good reasons not to report things straight away, they are embarrassed, ashamed and don’t want their personal lives examined.
“She had the courage to report (the allegations) after her safety was breached … enough was enough, and she felt she had to go to police.”
Messina’s barrister Ed Anderson retaliated by questioning why the woman chose to live with him after the relationship was over if he was “beating her non-stop”.
“She had no reason to remain in a violent home and did so voluntarily in circumstances where she could have left at any time,” he said.
Messina will be sentenced in January. In the meantime, a sentencing assessment report and psychological report will be prepared for him.
If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs support, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. You can also speak with someone confidentially at Headspace by calling 1800 650 890 or chat online here.
