A judge described a Whangarei alcoholic who repeatedly assaulted and threatened to kill his family as a "tyrant" before sending him to jail.
The 34-year-old, whose name is withheld to protect his family, drank every day and physically, verbally and emotionally abused his wife and his children, one of them 18-months old.
On one occasion, he punched his eldest son, aged 13, and threatened to kill him after the boy stood up to him and told him to leave his mother alone.
Judge Duncan Harvey said he feared for the man's family once he was released from prison if his alcohol problem was not addressed.
His violent behaviour had continued despite a final protection order issued to him on May 18, 2010 that protected his wife and their four eldest children.