After police were called about a knife-bearing stalker, he was seen shadowboxing and vomiting outside his victim’s home.
Eli Tipene Te Moananui, 33, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to possessing a knife and disorderly behaviour.
The court heard that Te Moananui became "fixated" with a woman and was stalking her.
He yelled at the occupants: "Come outside and have a one-on-one fight with me, no weapons".
The shouting continued for more than an hour despite the woman asking him to leave multiple times.
While waiting for police to arrive Te Moananui stood under a lamp post shadowboxing and then vomiting.
When officers arrived they told him to show his hands but he did not.
Te Moananui sat on the ground and police noticed something in his pocket which he said was a paua knife.
He removed it from his pocket and police took it.
The defendant told police that he was outside the address watching the stars and thought he saw a girl he knew inside.
He said they had been harassing him so he "decided to give it back", a police summary said.
The court heard since the incident the victim felt on edge and anxious.
Judge David Ruth accepted that the defendant had an appalling upbringing and was making rehabilitation efforts.
"Your offending is really a product of your past life, and that you have survived and are taking steps to have a better life is a credit to you," the judge said.
"That is not to excuse the offending, but to give context to it."
He sentenced Te Moananui to 60 hours’ community work which included remittance of more than $1000 in fines.
