In the Dunedin District Court last week, Hirini Sidney Mate (40) was labelled a man with "no propensity for violence", despite being convicted on charges of threatening to kill, injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault in a family relationship and wilful damage.
Crown solicitor Richard Smith, counsel Adriana Pinnock and Judge Michael Turner spent much of the court proceedings trying to make sense of Mate’s "egregious" act of violence that left an ex-partner’s face permanently damaged.
"He has hit the court with quite a thud," Mr Smith said.
On September 26, Mate was issued with a police safety order and only a few hours later, he was breaching it — turning up at the victim’s home, damaging her property and punching her face.
Hoping to meet the woman on November 16, Mate reached out to her.
When she refused, his messages became abusive and threatening, the court heard.
At 2pm, the woman was getting out of the shower when Mate turned up at her door.
A man who was visiting the woman let Mate inside, but his presence angered the defendant.
The woman told Mate to leave, but he refused and instead began threatening the pair.
The defendant grabbed a boning knife from the kitchen and held it towards the victim, repeatedly stating that he would kill her, the court heard.
The male associate fled the address, leaving the woman alone with Mate.
Dropping the knife, he punched the woman in the face, knocking her on to the couch.
He fled the home and the victim called police.
A photograph of the woman’s bloodied and swollen face was attached to court documents, revealing the horrific injuries she suffered from the attack.
She sustained a fractured eye socket, multiple fractures to her nose, grazes and significant bruising.
After spending the night in hospital she received nine stitches to the left side of her face and required further surgeries to repair her nose.
While in custody awaiting sentencing, Mate and the victim had attended a restorative justice meeting, with the pair sharing their "deep care" for each other.
The woman accepted Mate’s remorse and said she had seen a "real positive change" in him.
She described the man as having "real potential" and believed he would not treat anyone like this in the future, the court heard.
"The victim knows him better than us," Mr Smith said.
"In fairness to Mr Mate, he is a man with rehabilitative prospects."
Mate was removed from the care of his parents, who were embroiled in alcoholism and abuse, at a young age.
Ms Pinnock said the man had a supportive upbringing — living with his grandparents, who were "good to him and brought him up correctly and lovingly".
Once his grandparents died, the man "found a sense of belonging" through gang affiliation, but exhibited "no serious violence, no drug activities, no antisocial behaviour", the court heard.
"We are not dealing with the sort of case where someone’s trajectory has been well and truly set in stone," Mr Smith said.
Ms Pinnock spoke of her client’s historical denunciation of domestic abuse and how he had no previous convictions for serious violence.
"There is no evidence that he was dishing out violence against anybody, particularly women.
"He knew it was wrong.
"He was part of a group that was trying to put people back on the right course."
Despite being a victim of cultural deprivation, childhood trauma and institutional racism, Mate managed to stay largely out of trouble, the court heard.
Mate shared an apology letter with the court, stating: "I am not what I have done."
The judge agreed.
"One shouldn’t take what happened on this occasion as defining. You are not a bad person, you have just done a bad thing.
"You’re better than that."
Despite the victim and defendant making amends, the judge said the consequences of the violent act could not be overstated.
"There are significant physical consequences to her, to the shape of her face."
The woman remained reluctant to leave her home and had struggled emotionally following the attack.
Mate was sentenced to four years’ 10 months’ imprisonment.
