Tas man jailed for serious family violence

A Tasmanian man will spend up to 12 years in jail for the degrading and humiliating physical, sexual and psychological abuse of two former partners.

The 36-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, raped both women and assaulted them while they were pregnant across a period spanning more than seven years.

He abused the women about their appearance and capacity to perform household tasks, and isolated them from family and friends.

"The family violence ... and the context in which it was committed was serious, entrenched and enormously damaging to both women and their children," Supreme Court Justice Michael Brett wrote in sentencing comments published this week.

While in a relationship with one woman from May 2008 to January 2012, the man choked her until she lost consciousness and kicked her in the head after she fell from a motorcycle he was riding.

He raped her after an argument and repeatedly rammed her head into a wall during another argument.

The abuse continued despite police issuing a family violence order about 18 months before the end of the relationship.

Once he grabbed the second woman by the stomach while she was pregnant and threw her against a wall causing her to lose consciousness.

They were together from March 2012 to September 2015.

He subjected her to a degrading rape, and often kicked and pushed her out of bed because she was not meeting his demands for regular massages.

Some abuse was witnessed by the woman's young child

"It is clear that your crimes have had a profound and long-term effect on both (women)," Justice Brett said.

"It is also clear that their lives have been deeply and irreversibly changed, and that each relives the trauma constantly and vividly."

The man pleaded guilty to two counts of persistent family violence, a charge introduced to Tasmania's criminal code several years ago, and will be eligible for parole in six years.

Under the law, three acts of violence against a spouse or partner can be considered a crime. There is no requirement for the complainant to remember exact dates or circumstances.

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