Jeffery began dealing illegal substances to fund his own drug habit after the death of a family member saw his life spiral out of control, the court heard.
Damning messages that revealed the low-level dealing were uncovered on Jeffery’s phone after police responded to a violent incident involving an assault on a woman on August 1.
Expecting to pick someone up, the victim arrived at Jeffery’s front door about noon.
Jeffery said the person was not home.
He told the woman to leave as he suspected the two associates accompanying her were drug dealers.
“He has the audacity to be mad she is with a drug dealer,” Judge Smith said.
After a verbal altercation, Jeffery shoved the victim with both hands.
A scuffle ensued and when the woman hit the ground, Jeffery knelt on top of her with his full weight, court documents said.
He picked up a pile of dog faeces and smeared it in the woman’s face, some of it going in her mouth, the court heard.
“That’s pretty jolly bad,” said the judge, who described the attack as “vile, cruel and degrading”.
Saunderson-Warner acknowledged the offending reflected badly on her client, who had no history of this type of offending.
As a result of the assault, the victim had a bruised wrist and cuts to her face.
“She was afraid of you, she worries you might randomly turn up at her house and that gives her great anxiety,” Judge Smith said.
Jeffery used his time in custody to seek drug treatment and parenting assistance as he was desperate to get home to his daughter.
He was also convicted of a low level theft from a supermarket and three counts of suspended driving.
On all charges, Jeffery was sentenced to 11 months’ home detention, ordered to pay $28 reparation and disqualified for one year.
