A man who threatened to "burn this f***ing house down" and set fire to a car with his ex-partner inside has been released from prison, but could face further incarceration.

39-year-old Troy Thomas Charles Brooks faced several family violence charges at the Launceston Magistrates Court on March 26.

These included common assault, when he spat in his then-partner's face during an argument over the use of a GPS while she drove their family to Hobart on January 28, 2024 and also numerous breaches of a family violence order.

The order had been in place since October 2023 after an argument between Brooks and his ex-partner over cleaning turned violent, with Brooks breaking a TV remote, a mug and a hat stand.

He was also charged with common assault through deprivation of liberty after showing up to his ex-partner's house at Hadspen on January 30 - which was one of the breaches of the family violence order.

Police prosecutor Katarina Gauden told the court the woman and her children were woken by Brooks banging on windows and doors demanding to be let in and shouting that he would "burn this f***ing house down".

The court heard the ex-partner tried to leave the property in her car, but Brooks blocked the driveway with his vehicle before entering the garage and grabbing a jerry can full of petrol.

Brooks threatened to pour the petrol on the vehicle and set it alight and splashed his 18-year-old son with petrol, telling him he would "f***ing burn you" after the young man attempted to intervene, according to Ms Gauden.

Ms Gauden said Brooks also threw the jerry can, still full of fuel, at the young man and ultimately left the house on a bicycle after punching - and breaking - the wing mirror on another car owned by his ex-partner.

Police arrested Brooks near the Hadpsen River Reserve later that morning, and he remained in custody since.

Ms Gauden played footage for the court which started after Brooks grabbed the jerry can and corroborated much of what police had said, but also recorded his children pleading for him to leave the house.

Defence counsel Lucy Flanagan said the footage "spoke for itself", but Brooks had been adequately punished and deterred from further offending from his weeks-long stint in jail.

The defence counsel said Brooks had also been made homeless by the family violence order.

She said the relationship between Brooks and his partner had previously been "for the most part a good relationship, and a loving relationship" but had become difficult.

This was partly due to Brooks losing employment after sustaining an acquired brain injury several years prior.

Ms Flanagan said the relationship was finished as far as Brooks was concerned, and he planned to live and work in the south of the state after his release.

"His anger has borne out of a relationship which is now over," Ms Flanagan said.

The defence counsel said Brooks hoped to reconcile with his children.

Magistrate Ken Stanton said the spitting was a "vile and demeaning act", and was the second time Brooks had done such a thing, the first occasion several years prior.

Mr Stanton said Brooks placed his former partner in an "invidious position" on January 30 - stay in the car and risk being burned alive, or exit the car and face potential violence.

The magistrate said the footage played for the court showed "highly distressing" events.

"It is imperative I not allow the subjective human emotional response to remove the requirement to impose a punishment that matches the objective seriousness of the offending," Mr Stanton said.

Mr Stanton noted the impact the events of January 30 would have had on the children, and commended Brooks' older son for bravery and a measured response in the face of "appalling behaviour".

The magistrate also noted Brooks' demeanour in the courtroom and early pleas of guilty, which indicated remorse.

Mr Stanton sentenced Brooks to 24 weeks' imprisonment, backdated to his arrest on January 30, bringing the time served to eight weeks.

The remaining 16 weeks were suspended for a period of 18 months, provided Brooks committed no offence punishable by imprisonment.

Mr Stanton also sentenced Brooks to a year-long community correction order, which included instructions to attend a family violence intervention program and an aggression management program.