Trenton James Horsman: ‘Angry, raging lunatic’ jailed over ‘horrific’ Geraldton domestic violence siege

An “angry, raging lunatic” who throttled his ex-partner and threatened to kill her in a horrific siege witnessed by their young son has been jailed for four years and four months. Trenton James Horsman held the woman hostage for hours in their Geraldton home in 2021. She was finally able to escape to a neighbour’s property and call for help, but was forced to leave their child behind. That would have been distressing and terrifying, District Court Judge Linda Black said. “She had to leave her little boy in the hands of a man out of control,” Judge Black said. “What happened that night was absolutely appalling. It was brutal, it was violent, and it was extremely serious.” She said she’d had to listen to a recording of the mayhem and Horsman had clearly “lost it”. “It was absolutely horrific,” Judge Black said. “Listening to the things he said, talking about gagging her, talking about getting a shotgun, physically doing things to her, which you could hear even if you couldn’t specifically see. “Telling her she was dead, saying he was going to kill her and then, in fact, as we now know, strangling and suffocating her during this time made it brutal listening. “We have too much domestic violence, and women are killed every year by men with whom they are in a relationship, and very often in circumstances where that man strangles or suffocates the woman. “It doesn’t take long, Mr Horsman, to kill someone when you strangle them. “It doesn’t take long to kill someone when you suffocate them. “And our prisons are full of people who can’t remember, or can’t, at least, remember why they ever chose to place their hand around the neck of a person they supposedly loved.” The 43-year-old had erupted over money, but there was no justification for what he did, the judge said. In her victim impact statement, the woman said the events of that night had permanently altered the course of her life. “The fear of being held hostage was not just a moment of terror,” she wrote. “It was an invasion of my sense of safety, trust and security. “In that moment I felt utterly powerless, and the psychological effects of that powerlessness have lingered long after the incident.” Judge Black made Horsman eligible for parole and said she would raise problems he was having in jail directly with the Inspector of Custodial Services. She expressed concern Horsman’s loud snoring had put him “at risk of the fury and frustration of other prisoners”, and he was also not being medicated for ADHD. The judge noted, however, that prisons did not want to give a form of amphetamines to inmates. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)