An Invercargill man who fractured the eye socket of his former partner and continued to harass her while on bail has been sentenced to home detention.
Duane Leslie Twiss, 45, appeared in the Invercargill District court today for assaulting the woman and smashing her property in March last year, and intimidating her after charges were laid.
The victim awoke early the next morning to the man turning on the light and “raging” at her because he couldn’t find his phone and car keys.
He then picked up her headphones and snapped them in half saying: “You break my s*** I’ll break your s***”.
He left the room but, when she said she would call police, he turned and ran back down the hallway toward her, punching her in the right eye.
The blow was so forceful it fractured the orbital wall around the eye, the court heard.
Police were called and, when asked about the violence, Twiss denied it.
In June, while out on bail and subject to a protection order, he twice rang the woman and began arguing about retrieving some furniture from her house, the court heard.
He told her if she would not let him come around, he would get a Mongrel Mob member to come take the items instead.
Becoming increasingly angry, he told her he would have her son stabbed, the police summary said.
Judge Mark Williams noted this was the defendant’s second spate of family violence in recent years and he was imprisoned for assaulting a different woman in 2020.
A report writer said the man had a high level of entitlement that led to violence in his relationships.
Counsel Jono Ross said since his client was jailed for some days after contacting and threatening his victim, he had been on restricted bail conditions that was “by and large, house arrest”.
Judge Williams sentenced Twiss to seven months’ home detention for assault with intent to injure, causing the damage to the victim’s property and the breach of the protection order while on bail, threatening her and her son.
