A Waihola shearer said he would crush his ex-partner with his ``bare hands'' when he heard she had a new man, a court has heard.
Hamish Toanui Klee Reid (32) appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week after pleading guilty to threatening to kill, threatening to do grievous bodily harm, intentional damage, breaching a protection order and resisting arrest.
Judge Michael Crosbie said the charges stemmed from a relationship breakdown with the mother of the defendant's three children.
In May 2017, Reid sent her several abusive messages to which she did not respond.
``I'm going to f***ing crush you with my f***ing bare hands,'' he wrote.
Other messages followed in a similar vein and Reid also threatened the victim's new boyfriend.
``Violent on any assessment. Derogatory on any assessment,'' the judge said.
The defendant later went to the woman's home where he looked in through a window and saw her with the new man.
As he yelled abuse, the victim's mother tried to calm him down.
But his demeanour persisted, and was seen by his children, the court heard.
Looking at his ex-partner through the window, Reid pointed at her and ``made a slicing motion'' with his right hand.
As he left the property he kicked a gate, causing significant damage.
Nearly 10 months later, frustrations came to the boil again.
The victim told Reid she could not attend a mediation appointment because of an unexpected death.
That prompted the defendant to turn up at her house and launch into another vitriolic rant.
Police arrived and as they tried to subdue him, he struggled and there was a tussle on the ground with an officer before he was removed from the scene.
Defence counsel Noel Rayner said his client was desperate to remain in the life of his children.
``Clearly, you're to have to make some huge changes in the way you deal with your children and your partner,'' Judge Crosbie said.
The children were at an age at which they could forget their father's aggressive behaviour and Reid was not too old to change, the judge said.
``You don't have a violent past, you don't need a violent future.''
Reid was jailed for 17 months.
