"He is pretty consistent. Every five years he whacks somebody," a judge said today of a man standing before him in the Tauranga District Court dock for assaulting a female.
When John Te Huna, a beneficiary, appeared for sentence his lawyer Simon Whitehead told Judge Thomas Ingram there were a few previous convictions, some of which involved the same victim.
"That's something of an understatement. This man has a long history," said the judge.
"He has been in trouble with assaults every five years since the 1970s."
Mr Whitehead said the victim, Te Huna's partner, was sitting at the back of the courtroom.
"They seem to be trying to maintain a relationship and are attending counselling," he said.
A term of community work would be the usual penalty but, the judge said, that was not appropriate this time because Te Huna was awaiting further surgery on a painful shoulder injury.
Sentencing the defendant to 12 months supervision, Judge Ingram told him: "It is a bad move, you doing it to her. But having kids, and them knowing about it, is even worse."
Supervision was "the best bet" to enable Te Huna to deal with the causes of his offending, he said.
