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Kathryn George/Stuff
A man was so jealous his ex-partner was seeing someone else that he tried to kill her.
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
A man struck his former partner in the head more than 40 times and strangled her with the straps of a shopping bag after learning she had “slept” with someone else.
The 25-year-old former forestry worker’s “sustained and violent” offending was outlined in the Whanganui High Court on Friday.
He was jailed for five years and two months for the attempted murder of the woman whose name was suppressed.
Stuff has chosen not to identify the man to protect the victim’s identity.
The court heard the offender and his former partner ended their five-year relationship in December 2022.
He “suspected for about a week” she had begun a “sexual” relationship with another man.
He went to the victim’s home and stayed the night, but the next morning after their child went to school he accused her of “sleeping with someone else”.
The victim turned to grab her phone, but the man “coward” punched her on the right side of her head.
The woman fell to the ground “face first” and he continued punching her “more than 20 times”.
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He then dragged her by her hoodie to a bedroom to escape her dog, before picking up a hammer and hitting her in the head a further 20 times.
The woman was then strangled and pushed to the ground, before he grabbed a nearby shopping bag and put the straps around her neck.
He placed his foot on her back and pulled her head up before slamming it into the ground and letting her go.
The victim asked what she could do to make him stop, and he told her to get on the bed.
She did so, but as she moved her hair to the side the man saw the injuries he had inflicted.
He drove her to a hospital where he dropped her at a doorway.
Justice Paul Raddich said the man pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder after a sentencing indication in July.
The man had admitted his actions to police soon after the “serious and sustained” attack, and said he was “jealous” and intended to take the victim’s life.
In an earlier interview he said: “If I can’t have her no one can.”
The woman, who was not present in court, suffered significant physical and mental harm.
She required 14 stitches after the attack and sustained bruising, swelling and black eyes. She had ongoing issues with “brain fog” and disassociation from the event.
A victim impact statement, read on her behalf, said she had received 20 to 30 letters from her former partner since he had been in custody.
They were addressed to their young son who “could not read”, which caused her further anxiety.
She said the contents did not show the offender took any “accountability” for his actions. Instead, he had blamed this on mental health issues, which she thought was “unfair”.
Justice Raddich said it was clear the victim was vulnerable and the attack was “predetermined to some degree” because the offender waited for his child to leave.
In determining his sentence, he noted the male had shown genuine remorse and pleaded guilty at his earliest opportunity.
He referred to a pre-sentencing report that said the man struggled with his emotions in intimate relationships, but he was willing to engage in rehabilitation and had offered $5000 in emotional harm reparation.
He also referred to the man’s family, who had supported him throughout the court process, and a letter that had been presented by his father.
The man, who had no previous criminal history, also wrote his own letter to the court.
In it, he said he accepted his “cruel” actions traumatised his former partner and son, and his apology or offer of reparation would not fix what he had done.
A cannabis addiction was also referred to but the judge did not believe this or mental health issues were mitigating factors.
A protection order was also granted in favour of the victim.
Where to get help:
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Women’s Refuge 0800 733 843
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Shine Free call 0508 744 633 between 9am and 11pm (for men and women)
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1737, Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor.
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Kidsline 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
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