Darren Antony Stedman, 53, was set to defend a charge of breaching a protection order, but a last-minute change of heart saw him plead guilty in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
The former drummer for pioneering Dunedin band The Verlaines was before the court in 2021 after a heated argument with his then partner.
A protection order was granted in favour of the victim.
But on July 20 last year, Stedman breached the order when he texted his former partner to say his mother was in hospital.
She expressed her sympathies and Stedman replied "don’t f... with me". The woman said she was not, but she could not talk at the time.
Stedman then sent multiple "nonsensical" text messages, the police summary of facts explained.
He said the victim loved death and loved dying, then called her 10 times.
For the next four days he messaged the victim daily.
Stedman told police he was drunk at the time and was "under a lot of stress".
Yesterday, Judge Emma Smith said restorative justice should be explored and a Probation report was ordered.
In 2021, the musician received a 12-month deferred sentence after admitting two charges of intentional damage after he lashed out at the victim because she received multiple messages from a male friend.
He ripped a light fitting off the wall. Less than two weeks later, he had another outburst and threw a bowl of pesto on to the victim’s furniture and stomped it into the carpet.
The victim described the ordeal as "an exceptionally violent and traumatic end to the turbulent two and a-half-year relationship".
Stedman will be sentenced in June for his recent offending.
felicity.dear@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
