A LAUNCESTON man contesting four counts of assault has admitted under oath that he lied to police, a court heard today.
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The man, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty in the Launceston Supreme Court yesterday to one count of assault, out of the five counts he is facing.
The Crown has accused the man of a sustained attack against a woman, his then partner, between December 6 and 7 last year at their home.
Prosecutor Luke Brett told the court yesterday that the man smashed a car window and the glass injured the woman and her baby son, who were sitting inside the vehicle.
Mr Brett also said yesterday that the man then physically attacked the woman on the ground outside the car, then followed this up with another assault inside their house.
The accused has pleaded guilty to the assault outside the car, but defence counsel Adrian Hall has argued that no assaults ever occurred inside the house.
Today, the man's police interview was played to the jury, in which the man flatly denied ever having laid a hand on the woman.
The man told police in his interview that the woman became physical with him, she had smashed the car window, she had thrown herself to the ground and bashed her head into the ground.
However, the accused gave evidence in court today that he had "tapped" a beer bottle on the car window and the window broke.
He said he did this in order to save the baby from the woman, who had been drinking alcohol and smoking ice, because he feared for the child's safety.
The man said he then dragged the woman out of the car, slapped her around the back of the head and she fell the ground, then he kicked her to the stomach.
The accused further stated that the woman was his cousin and they had never had a sexual relationship.
Closing addresses are expected this afternoon.