A woman's decision to pour bleach on her partner during a domestic dispute has been described as "nasty, nasty, nasty" by a judge.
Ashley Lauren Stewart (aka Baird), 31, appeared in the Invercargill District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of assault, resisting arrest and speaking threateningly.
"You can’t be acting in this manner," Judge Turitea Bolstad told the defendant.
"You have a bad temper.
"You really do need to get that under control."
On February 27, Stewart was at her on-off partner’s house when an argument broke out, the court heard.
Her partner grabbed his phone and left the room.
While he was walking away, the defendant struck him three times in the back of his head.
The victim ran to the bathroom and locked himself inside, sitting with his back against the door holding it closed.
When she was unsuccessful, she poured a bottle of bleach through an open air vent in the door and on to the victim.
The chemical trickled into the victims’ mouth and eyes, causing significant redness and swelling, the court heard.
Police arrived and Stewart was still clearly irritated and frustrated — she resisted arrest.
The defendant kicked an officer and held on to the roof-racks of the police car, refusing to let go.
Judge Bolstad said the first note she made to herself after reading about the offending was "nasty, nasty, nasty".
Although Stewart pleaded guilty to pouring the bleach on her partner, she disputed the contents of the bottle.
The defendant admitted she struggled to regulate her emotions in stressful situations.
Judge Bolstad sentenced her to nine months’ supervision and 80 hours’ community work.
