Boy, 4, begged man not to attack mum with hammer

Jacob Jones will soon be released but will have to stay away from his victim. Photo / Rob Kidd

A 4-year-old boy begged a Balclutha man not to attack his pregnant mother with a hammer, a court has heard.

Jacob Selwyn Jones, 41, was sentenced to 17 months' imprisonment before the Dunedin District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to assaulting a female, possession of a weapon and threatening behaviour.

He moved into his partner's Balclutha home after completing his last prison stint but by October, the relationship had become fractious.

Jones argued with the pregnant victim and became "enraged", according to court documents.

He called her a whore, a n***** and a slut, then punched her in the face, causing a black eye.

Nearly three weeks later, Jones lost his composure again.

After a verbal clash, his partner retreated to the living room of their home with two of her children.

Jones picked up a hammer and followed.

"The defendant was clenching the hammer in a menacing stance and rocking in an agitated state," the police summary said.

Again, he harangued his partner in the "degrading and awful fashion" he had previously.

Jones said he was going to smash her face.

Jacob Jones will soon be released but will have to stay away from his victim. Photo / Rob Kidd

The victim's 4-year-old child begged him to stop the intimidation, repeating "no, uncle".

It was enough to stop the threats that day but the court heard Jones continued the next, prompting his partner to go to the police.

After several months behind bars and accepting his wrongdoing, the defendant was the one doing the begging.

He and the victim sat down for a restorative justice conference, during which Jones spoke of his shame and accepted the arguments were entirely his fault.

He pleaded with the woman to accept his apologies.

She did.

"The good grace she showed you in that conference demonstrates she's the opposite to all those things you called her repeatedly," Judge Emma Smith said.

"When you get frustrated it's just not acceptable to take that out by degrading others in a vile way."

She noted Jones had a "background of extraordinary violence", which was reflected by a long list of convictions.

"You are a man easily given to violence at the drop of a hat ... It has been a way of life for you," the judge said.

Because of the time already spent behind bars, Jones will soon be released from prison.

Probation wanted him GPS-monitored for the next six months but Judge Smith opted not to impose that condition.

She did, however, bar Jones from contacting the victim without prior approval of his probation officer during that period.

Judge Smith said the measure was in place to keep the victim safe and stop the defendant ending up in prison again.