A Dunedin man with a history of domestic violence says he wants to turn his life around and help other men in his position.
Mark Anthony Thomas Shelford (48) was jailed for eight months when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
He had been behind bars since he breached a protection order, granted in favour of his former partner, in June.
''He is not the kind of man who sits on his hands,'' defence counsel Rhona Daysh said.
''He is in the process of reconstructing and remodelling himself from a criminal past.''
She said that while her client had been in custody he had begun work on setting up a programme to support Dunedin men on their release from prison.
The court heard Shelford had even got in touch with the city's mayor over the project.
''He wants to garner some support for [the ex-inmates], helping them not go back to the same negative pathways,'' Ms Daysh said.
The breach took place when Shelford was driving around and pulled over when he saw his partner.
The woman had recently informed him she wanted their relationship to end.
Shelford got out of his car and embraced the woman against her will.
When she reconfirmed her desire to break up, the defendant sat on the pavement crying.
Ms Daysh stressed there was no physical violence involved in the most recent offending and when Shelford last breached the order it was for sending cards to his children.
Regardless of that, Judge Michael Crosbie said the victim was still ''terrified'' of the defendant.
She had texted him to break up because she was too scared to do it face-to-face, the judge said.
The woman believed their meeting on the street on June 6 was not a chance encounter; rather, Shelford had been cruising the roads looking for her.
In a letter to the court, the defendant said he understood why his actions could have traumatised the victim.
''You say that you wish to respect the boundaries of others and control your emotions. You apologise to the victim and her family, saying you are a man of change,'' Judge Crosbie said.
''If those words are true, Mr Shelford, then you have the opportunity to recalibrate and live an offence-free life.''
When the defendant was released from prison, the protection order would remain, the judge told him.
''She wants a life without you. You need to respect that.''
