A Queenstown woman "lived in fear" of the next assault by her partner for nearly a year, police say.
Her now ex-partner, Gavin James Dron (35), bar manager, narrowly avoided prison for a raft of charges arising from their 11-month relationship at his sentencing in the Queenstown District Court yesterday.
The police summary of facts described a series of assaults between December 20, 2020, and November 24, 2021.
Sometimes sparked by the defendant’s jealousy, they led on at least two occasions to Dron impeding her breathing.
In one of the strangulation incidents, the pair were walking home after socialising in the resort’s CBD when an argument started.
He threw her takeaway meal on to the footpath, and when she remonstrated with him, grabbed her neck and pushed her face first into a fence, impeding her breathing until passers-by stopped to intervene.
On November 6, 2021, he punched her in the face while they were in her bedroom, knocking her to the floor.
A witness saw her run out of the house, screaming "leave me alone", as the defendant chased her down the road.
Other disputes led to violence that included him pushing or grabbing her, and on several occasions her flatmates had to step in to protect her.
The victim often suffered bruising that she would cover with make-up, and she would brush off the concerns of friends and workmates.
She also suffered voice issues from the strangulations.
Dron told police he knew the relationship was unhealthy, but he loved the victim and was unsure why he had not left her alone when things became violent.
Counsel Jono Ross said Dron continued to have counselling to deal with his anger issues, and had resumed taking medication he required.
Dron accepted a sentence indication, a hearing that lets offenders know what their sentence would be if they plead guilty, by Judge Bernadette Farnan on October 11.
He admitted two charges of strangulation, five of assault in family relationship and one each of assault with intent to injure and threatening behaviour.
At yesterday’s hearing, Judge Russell Walker took into account the defendant’s guilty pleas, expression of remorse, previous good record, his willingness to engage in the restorative justice process and payments he had made to Women’s Refuge.
He came to an end sentence of 22 months’ prison, which he converted to 11 months’ home detention.
He ordered the defendant to pay the victim $1000 reparation for emotional harm, and made a protection order in her favour.
