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Jail term after holiday assault

Frances Chin

A man has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for violently assaulting his partner while on holiday with their children.

The 40-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced by Judge Stephen O’Driscoll at the Nelson District Court yesterday.

He was convicted on two charges of assaulting a person in a family relationship and one of assault with intent to injure.

In a statement to police, the man’s ex-partner described how he assaulted her on New Year’s Day in 2020. The man put the woman in a headlock and started ripping her hair out, then threw her to the floor and smothered her. When she sat up, the man smashed her head against a wall twice.

He did this in front of their children, who were screaming and begging him to stop.

The woman then hit him in the head with the metal tin she used to hold her children’s medication.

In a victim impact statement, the woman broke down while speaking to her former partner about the injuries she had suffered and the consequences.

The concussion caused by her head being slammed against the concrete wall meant she needed to wear prescription glasses for migraines, and the force had permanently changed the shape of her jaw. She had bald patches from her hair being ripped out, and would be on pain medication and muscle relaxants for the rest of her life.

She now suffered from PTSD and depression. Their three children had been badly affected by what they had witnessed, and had started bedwetting, crying, and having trouble at school. She was paying for them to attend counselling and the ongoing cost was affecting her financially.

The woman told the man he had ruined their lives with his lies and violence. ‘‘I hope you get the help you need.’’

Judge O’Driscoll said the man’s children would be affected by what they had seen for the rest of their lives. The man had issues with anger and alcohol. While he had expressed remorse, words were easy, the judge said.

The man had disagreed with his ex-partner’s version of events but at his trial the jury did not accept his claims she was the aggressor and he acted in self-defence.

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en-nz

2021-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://stuff.pressreader.com/article/281560884064182

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