A sleeping man was violently aroused from his sleep when his partner, fueled by suspicions he was cheating, forced himself into his home and punched him repeatedly before stabbing him with a pair of scissors.
Hineata Wipiti, 40, later tried to avoid punishment for the attack by continuously calling the jailed man to persuade him to tell police he had lied about the incident.
But her attempts to pervert the course of justice apparently failed. Last week she appeared in the New Plymouth District Court, where she was jailed for her actions.
The court heard the Taranaki woman turned up at her then partner's home in Waitara at around 7.20am on March 15 last year.
The couple had been together for around 12 years and police had recorded 64 previous incidents of family harm. It was not the first time Wipiti had stabbed the victim, the court heard.
On this occasion she walked into his house through the back door. Shortly afterwards he woke up and asked what she was doing.
She accused him of cheating on her before jumping on top of him and punching him repeatedly.
He covered his face with his arms and tried to bite Wipiti, but he couldn't.
She then took a pair of scissors and stabbed him under his left armpit, leaving a 2-inch stab wound.
The victim ran to the other side of the room to escape Wipiti, who threw a cup that hit the door next to him.
His roommate called the police and she was later arrested and taken into custody at Arohata Prison.
While there, Wipiti called the victim numerous times, despite having a court order in place not to contact him.
The phone conversations, which were recorded, caught her ordering him to tell police and lawyers he had lied and drop the charge of wounding with intent to injure her.
In follow-up conversations, Wipiti asked, “Did you say you lied about your statement?”
She continued to convince him to “say you lied” and also said she told her lawyer he had lied.
Judge Gregory Hikaka told the court that both charges Wipiti faced – wounding with intent to injure and perverting the course of justice – were serious, with both carrying a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.
He said the case was initially scheduled for a judge's trial, but Wipiti entered guilty pleas earlier this year.
She has 33 previous convictions, including eight for violence, and was considered to be at high risk of reoffending, and at high risk of harm if she offended in a similar manner.
Although the victim did not make a statement to the court about Wipiti's offending, his family had expressed concerns that she might one day kill him, Judge Hikaka said.
“That's a valid concern,” he said.
Judge Hikaka imposed a sentence of two years and eight months for the battery charge, then added 10 months for perverting the course of justice, and a further 10 percent for Wipiti's criminal history and the fact that she was under the terms of a sentence fell. the moment of violation.
He gave 20 percent credit for her guilty pleas, 15 percent for background factors and 10 percent for the “positive plans” she has set for her future.
After imposing a final sentence of two years and three months in prison, Judge Hikaka acknowledged that Wipiti had been in custody for an extended period of time and was hoping for house arrest.
But he said the Parole Board was best placed to arrange her release.
“With the work you have done to rehabilitate yourself, we must ensure that your reintegration into the community is successful.”
Given the length of time Wipiti has been in custody, she would be immediately eligible to appear before the Parole Board.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
How to get help: If you are in danger now:
• Call the police on 111 or ask neighbors or friends to make the call for you.
• Run outside and go to a place where there are other people. Call for help so your neighbors can hear you.
• Take the kids along. Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember that it is not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's shelter: Crisis line – 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• To shine: Helpline – 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It's not okay: Domestic violence information line – 0800 456 450
• Shakti: Specialized services for women and children from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
• Crisis line – 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• Department of Justice: For information about domestic violence
• The network completion network: National Network of Family Violence Services
• White ribbon: Aimed at eliminating male violence against women.