Christopher Ross Garbutt, 40, was sentenced in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to assault with intent to injure, doing a threatening act, assaulting police, resisting police and wilful damage.
The court heard that on September 29, the defendant was celebrating his partner’s daughter turning 17. Garbutt was drinking bourbon and snorting an "unknown white powder", the police summary said.
"Without provocation, the defendant fell into a fit of rage and began targeting the victim."
He threw things around the house, damaging walls, paintings and furniture.
His partner fled to her room, but Garbutt followed her and repeatedly asked her to have sex.
Garbutt inflicted a "prolonged beating" on the woman, within earshot of her teenage daughter.
The defendant punched and slapped the victim before kicking her with his steel-capped boots.
She tried to push the defendant away, but he overpowered her and continued delivering blows as she curled into a ball on the floor.
The victim escaped to her daughter’s room and encouraged her to call police. Garbutt yelled slurs through the door and managed to break in.
The victim used her body to shelter her daughter and Garbutt again kicked her with his steel-capped boots and punched her.
Police arrived and presented a Taser, but he ignored their commands.
He was tackled to the ground and handcuffed.
Police struggled to get him into the vehicle, but once he was, he spun on to his back and kicked out, striking an officer in the chest.
As a result of the attack, Garbutt’s partner suffered sustained bruising and swelling as well as a cut to her lip and a concussion.
Counsel Kelly Beazley said her client had accepted responsibility for the offending and once he was released from prison he would rekindle his relationship with the woman.
"He does have support in the community to help him move forward and step away from this," Ms Beazley said.
"He’s too old to play these games."
Judge Dominic Flatley was shocked to hear the defendant was engaged to the victim, and that she still wanted a relationship.
"That’s pretty surprising on her part I would’ve thought," he said.
He said Garbutt had a "very firm footprint" for this kind of offending, and 50 convictions in total.
"You drink too much I think, and when you do, you lose control," the judge said.
Garbutt agreed and said he was never going to drink again.
"It seems I’m rolling the dice and taking a big risk every time I drink. I need to stop it," he said from the dock.
Judge Flatley sentenced Garbutt to 18 months’ imprisonment.
