A Southland man terrorised his children and their mother, and purposefully drove at a person in response to having protection and parenting orders served against him, a judge said yesterday.
In February last year, the woman was successful in her application for a protection order as well as a parenting order in relation to Craig (35).
From March to November last year, Craig went on a wilful campaign to torment his former partner and those who supported her.
He breached a protection order by posting stickers at eight business premises in Invercargill where he knew his children, who were 4 and 5 years old at the time, would see them. The stickers contained an apology to them.
There was a "barrage" of messages sent to his former partner, and he also manipulated a Stuff article headline to make it appear her new boyfriend was a sex offender.
He posted sexually explicit details about her on Facebook, came close to running over her brother and smashed the windows of her family member’s home, Judge Brandts-Giesen said.
Craig would sit outside her home and watch her, and also convinced people to contact her on his behalf — who did not realise they were facilitating a breach of his protection order.
After admitting his offending to police, Craig confessed the reason he committed the crimes was because he did not agree with his ex-partner preventing him from having access to his children.
He told police he damaged the windows of her family member’s house because they supported her having a protection order against him.
Craig also told police he did not understand why his ex-partner’s boyfriend was allowed to live with his children while he was only allowed supervised visits.
Judge Brandts-Giesen said Craig’s offending was of great concern to him.
"This must simply never be repeated."
Any reoccurrences would lead to Craig’s prison sentences getting longer and longer, and he would run the risk of never having a good relationship with his children.
"You have terrorised part of their childhood just as you have terrorised your former partner and those associated with her."
Craig appeared for sentence on eight charges of breaching a protection order, two charges of causing harm by posting digital communication, threatening behaviour, three charges of wilful damage and one charge of dangerous driving.
The offending happened in Waianawa and Invercargill between March 1 and November 22 last year, including one breach of a protection order while he was on remand in prison.
Judge Brandts-Giesen sentenced Craig to 12 months’ jail with six months’ post-release conditions, which include an exclusion area.
The sentence means he will be released soon as he has already served seven months’ jail time while remanded in custody.
He was also ordered to pay $2889.83 reparation and disqualified from driving for six months.
