Women strangled, burnt and beaten by repeat family violence offender Joshua Davies

A judge said it was "difficult to know what was going on in [Davies'] head" when he was violent towards his ex-partners.

Warning: This story deals with descriptions of family violence and may be distressing.

“You’ll end up in the boot of my f***en car ... End up on the front page of the Bay of Plenty Times.”

Joshua Davies went on to tell the woman he was threatening to have a wonderful day before later warning she had no clue of the damage he was capable of inflicting, and that he would “remove body parts”.

Davies, who severely beat two women, strangling one of them twice to the point she blacked out, and then tried to threaten them into staying silent, has now been imprisoned.

His spate of violence towards the women, with whom he’d been in relationships at different times, started at the beginning of 2023.

Joshua Davies pleaded guilty to 19 charges, which included violence, threats and attempts to pervert the course of justice.

He punched and kicked them, causing bruising. The second woman was burnt with a pipe and he’d threatened to chop off her fingers.

Both had been struck around the head and face and the first woman got a split lip after he hit her with knuckle-dusters.

The most serious incidents happened during about four days when both women were staying at the same house, and at least one felt too afraid to leave.

Eventually, the two women planned her escape, and she ended up in hospital later that day.

But, even while he was in custody, violent threats continued, with more than 60 threatening phone calls intercepted by Corrections between January and May 2024.

Davies was sentenced last week in the Tauranga District Court. One of his victims sat in the back of the court as he appeared on an audio-visual link from prison, her hands clasping that of a supporter.

The other victim wasn’t there, but her parents were.

A series of ‘horrific’ injuries

Her mother read a victim impact statement about the toll Davies' violence had taken on her, as the woman’s mother, and on the woman’s children.

“I picked [my daughter] up after the assault and I observed her injuries ... She had her beaten-in head, stomped sternum, stomach and arms, burn holes in her legs,” she said.

“The injuries were horrific.”

Her daughter was scared Davies would find her at the hospital, or her parents' house.

“The long-term effects have resulted in prolonged drug use and distancing from all her family and friends, for fear of reprisal from Josh,” her mother said.

“She has changed from a good mother and wife to a totally different person ... [Josh] instilled a huge amount of fear into [her].”

Her daughter’s methamphetamine use had “spiralled”, and she sought company from other “bad influences” for security against the “constant threats” from Davies.

‘I’ll knock your teeth out'

At the start of 2023, Davies had been in a relationship with the first of the women for about a month when things became violent.

He held her in a headlock for 20-30 seconds, so she was unable to breathe. Another time he beat her with a power cord − folding it in half and hitting her over the shoulder blades and back.

He faced a representative charge for assaults that began in January, where he would sometimes assault her multiple times a day, often by punches to her head.

A court summary of facts said the violence started with a text: “if your [sic] making me wait for yes or no answers I’ll knock your teeth out”.

A week later, the woman had a friend over, and she went to move her friend’s car so Davies could leave. When she came back in, he accused her of smoking methamphetamine.

He punched her in the mouth, and she fell to the bed.

She stood up and asked why he’d punched her – then another blow, which knocked her to the ground.

Joshua Davies (not picture) was charged with repeat attacks on his ex-partners, including blows and kicks to their heads.

He told her she “had not learned her lesson”, and pulled out knuckle-dusters, punching her twice more, splitting her lip.

Then he grabbed a shotgun, held the end of the barrel to the middle of her forehead, and said “maybe I should do the world a favour”.

She replied, “Do it then” before he pulled the gun away and left.

Over the following weeks, his violence continued. More kicks that came out of the blue, including to her head. A punch to her kidney.

On one occasion he attacked after she took too long going to various supermarkets to find a specific block of chocolate he wanted.

Burns, punches and strangulation

In February 2023, Davies was arrested on a charge of possession of an offensive weapon found in his car – knuckle-dusters. He was bailed to the woman’s house.

Davies instructed the woman to bring his ex-partner, whom he’d seen at court, to her house.

He then began to threaten both women, and he interrogated the second woman, accusing her of giving information to gang members.

He told her “You’re free to go whenever you want”, but the summary of facts said she felt she couldn’t leave, and she remained at the house for about four days.

The first woman returned home from work one day to see the second woman had a large gash on her forehead.

Davies strangled the second woman twice by putting his hands around her neck and causing her to lose consciousness, while the first woman looked on.

He burnt the second woman’s leg with a pipe, and came back with a meat cleaver from the kitchen, threatening to chop off her fingers.

He punched and kicked her, including her face, head, ribs, and legs, stomped on her chest when she was down on the ground, and spear-tackled her.

After three days of violence, the two women planned the second woman’s escape. She called a friend she trusted and sent them to another location. When they messaged they were there, she packed her stuff and ran.

Later that day she went to Tauranga Hospital. She had injuries to her eyes, extensive bruising, an open wound on her forehead, and two 3cm burn marks on her lower leg.

Threats continue from prison

Even when Davies was in custody a year later, his threats of violence continued.

He called the first woman and asked her to tell the second woman she shouldn’t give evidence – this would stop him from “hunt[ing] her down” and hurting her.

He also told the first woman she should be glad he was in custody.

Davies made threatening phone calls to his victims while in custody, which Judge Bidois said were attempts to stop them from coming to court.

“‘Be grateful I’m here, f***en hell I’ll f***en shoot you c**t',” he said.

“I’m glad I’m in prison, I would have given you the best hiding of your life.”

An hour later, a further phone call laden with threats.

“I’m grateful I’m in jail c**t, I will bury a knife in your guts … Celebrate your death."

Followed by: “You think I don’t know where you live. F**k I’ll send someone over there today you dumb s**t.”

Over the next five months, the threatening phone calls continued.

He called the first woman a c*** repeatedly, threatened to cut out her tongue, gouge out her eyes, punch her in the head, and stab her with a knife.

He told her, “You’ll end up in the boot of my f***en car ... End up on the front page of the Bay of Plenty Times. But I hope you have a wonderful day”.

He told her she had no “f***in clue what damage I’m capable of inflicting,” and then told her he would “remove body parts”.

Some of the threats were extended to family members and friends of both of the women and he threatened to pay others to inflict violence on the women.

He made more than 60 threatening phone calls while in custody.

‘Vindicated the victims’, says Judge

Davies entered guilty pleas to the 19 charges, which covered various forms of serious domestic violence and threats of violence.

He was also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Davies entered guilty pleas after a judge decided the Crown could include propensity evidence outlining his 18 previous family violence convictions if the matter went to trial.

Judge Louis Bidois said at sentencing that the 35-year-old had been subjected to various forms of abuse in his childhood.

Judge Louis Bidois sentenced Joshua Davies to eight years' imprisonment for violent attacks on ex-partners.

He would have regard to Davies' circumstances, while also acknowledging the need for denunciation and deterrence.

Crown prosecutor Hannah Speight sought a starting point in the vicinity of 13 years, and a minimum period of imprisonment of 50%.

Davies' lawyer Michael Douglas said a starting point of around 10 years' imprisonment was appropriate.

Judge Bidois noted the effect on the victims – both the physical and emotional impact.

The aggravating factors included blows to the head, use of weapons, and breach of trust.

The mitigating factors were Davies had pleaded guilty, saving the victims the trauma of going to trial.

“By pleading guilty, it’s vindicated the victims, they know you were the offender and not them,” Judge Bidois said.

“It’s difficult to know what was going on in your head at the time you were inflicting pain ...”

The judge set starting points for the offending against each victim – seven years for one victim, and six years for the other, which then included an uplift for his attempts to pervert the course of justice.

There was a further uplift of three months for threats made against other people, while he was in custody.

Judge Bidois reached an overall starting point of 13 years and three months of imprisonment but adjusted it for totality to 11 years, six months.

He gave a 20% discount for his guilty plea and 15% for his background.

Davies received an end sentence of eight years' imprisonment, which included an uplift for offending while on bail and previous violence convictions.

Judge Bidois did not impose a minimum period of imprisonment, deciding instead that was best left to the Parole Board.

Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.