A Dunedin man who twisted his partner’s leg until it felt like it would be "ripped off" has avoided imprisonment.
The incident marked the end of two days of overbearing behaviour and violence 43-year-old Steven Alan Roberts inflicted on his victim.
He appeared in the Dunedin District Court this week after pleading guilty to two counts of assault in a family relationship, threatening to kill, speaking threateningly and possessing methamphetamine.
The violence began in February last year when Roberts turned up at the woman’s house and insisted on her getting out of bed.
When she declined, he forced a pillow over her head intermittently for 30 seconds.
"Do you remember this pillow, b....?" he said.
There was a nine-month hiatus but Roberts’ aggressive side came to the fore again.
He followed the victim to her friend’s house and waited outside, messaging that he was going to assault her.
Later the same day he forced his way into her home and refused to leave, so she walked out instead.
"The defendant continued to call and text the victim abuse for the remainder of the night", a police summary said.
Early the following morning Roberts sent a message explicitly threatening to kill the woman.
She feared the defendant knew she was staying with a friend so returned home.
But Roberts was not far behind.
He picked the victim up and threw her to the floor on to her back, winding her.
"The defendant then grabbed the victim’s leg and began twisting it with full force", the court heard.
"This caused the victim to feel like her leg was going to be ripped off."
Roberts eventually left the home but continued the torrent of abuse by phone, until he was arrested the next day.
During processing at the station, police found 0.6g of meth in his wallet.
Counsel John Westgate said his client was struggling with addiction at the time but had spent four months behind bars during which he had "cleaned himself up".
"You’ve got someone before you today who’s different in the sense he’s got real motivation to address these issues", he said.
Judge David Robinson highlighted Roberts’ relevant convictions over the past five years which included family violence, drugs and firearms charges.
"This is the final time the court’s going to afford leniency in matters of this nature", he said.
Roberts was sentenced to four and a-half months’ home detention and 200 hours’ community work.
A protection order was granted in favour of the victim.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
