David Robert John Pine (24) has had trouble with the law in the past because of his drug use and he and his mother Carol became vocal advocates when it came to banning the substances in 2013.
Mrs Pine was so staunch in her stance, and ardent in her bid to see her son get clean, she informed police when he breached his bail by smoking the drug. Family support for Pine was again strong when he appeared before the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
But this time, the offending was not drug-related.
Pine had split from his partner on May 3 but four days later she returned to their Mosgiel home to help clean up after a party.
The pair went into the bedroom, had a coffee and chatted.
But when the conversation turned to ex-partners, the woman became annoyed and tried to walk out.
Pine blocked her exit and pushed her backwards on to the bed.
Over the next five minutes, the victim tried to escape as the defendant forcibly kept her inside the room they had previously shared.
"She felt cornered and frustrated," Judge Michael Crosbie said.
The victim used her cellphone to call a friend nearby but, hearing her plea for help, Pine snatched the phone off her and put it in his pocket.
However, the friend was soon outside the property.Pine threatened to "smash" them and grabbed a golf club from a shelf.
The victim saw her opportunity to escape and bolted for the door but he grabbed her and the pair fell backwards together.
She ran for another door leading outside but Pine managed to snare her again.
As he pulled her back in, he punched the woman in the face, before she finally broke free of his grasp.
Pine took the golf club and threatened the friend before they called police.
Judge Crosbie said the victim did not require medical attention but noted the defendant’s behaviour was "possessive and controlling".
Defence counsel Meg Scally told the court there had been violence in the relationship from both parties and her client now accepted it was over.
She said a jail term was going to be tough for her client, particularly since today was his oldest child’s birthday.
The judge sentenced Pine to 15 months’ imprisonment but said it could be converted to home detention if he was accepted for a residential rehabilitation course.