Mark Andrew Pine (45) was jailed for 14 months’ when he appeared before the Dunedin District Court yesterday on a slew of violence and weapons charges.
The defendant’s partner said despite spending seven years in a relationship she felt like she only knew his drunk alter-ego.
"I know him as ‘Piney’," she said. "I feel as though I don’t know Mark Pine at all."
"I only see him sober when he wakes up in the morning ... I don’t want Piney to hit rock bottom and lose his job."
On August 11, after consuming two bottles of scrumpy, the man and his girlfriend went to her father’s home to help unblock a toilet.
When Pine became concerned he had excrement on him, they drove home for a shower but an unexpected detour fuelled his rage.
His partner stopped to get some groceries.
After sounding the horn, Pine drove home and left the woman at the shops.
When she got back, a shower had failed to lift the defendant’s dark mood.
He started up a chainsaw and followed the victim to her home where he ran it up the door.
The introduction of police only served to increase his anger.
Pine struggled violently with police and continued to lash out when he was wrestled to the ground.
Despite the arrest, charges being laid and an appearance in court, the defendant failed to adhere to his bail conditions.
He was ordered by a judge not to consume alcohol, associate with his victim or enter Milton.
On October 28, Pine breached all three conditions.
He called 111 from his partner’s home and waited for police to arrive.
When officers arrived, Pine was standing in the kitchen; in one hand a carving knife, in the other a meat cleaver.
Held between them was a tea towel — "in order to frustrate or reduce the effect of tactical options", police said.
When a Taser was pointed at him, Pine continued the "unpredictable and irrational behaviour".
A high-voltage blast did nothing to deter him.
"You’ll have to do ....... better than that," he told police.
Pepper spray was more effective and Pine reacted by throwing his weapons at the officers, so hard that one of the blades snapped.
Once again he ardently resisted arrest and remained agitated for two hours after the incident, the court heard.
Defence counsel Brendan Stephenson said the defendant was serious about alcohol and anger issues and "wants to work on himself in a really big way".
While in her statement, Pine’s partner said she was unsure about the future of their relationship, yesterday she objected to Judge Michael Turner making a protection order in her favour.
"In my view she needs protection from Piney," the judge said. "Mark Pine might be a different person but he’s yet to emerge."
