Court rejects woman's appeal over attack on former partner

File photo / NZ Herald

A woman found guilty of over an incident where her former partner was made to bark like a dog and sign away his car has had an appeal against her sentence rejected.

A Tauranga District Court jury in June found Helena Bendall guilty of injuring with intent to injure, arson and attempting to pervert the course of justice. She pleaded guilty to assault.

She was sentenced to 25 months' jail.

Bendall, 32, had gone to her former partner's house with her new partner in September 2008 and asked him to look after her son.

She slapped him when he refused and asked her to leave, and her new partner then entered the house.

Bendall was there while her partner damaged property, threatened her former partner with a knife, made him kneel of the floor and bark like a dog, and then forced him to sign away his car.

The car was later burned after unsuccessful attempts to sell it.

Bendall saw the victim in the street several weeks later and asked him to drop his police complaint. She abused him when he declined.

Bendall's new partner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years and three months' jail.

She appealed to the Court of Appeal on the basis that her culpability was lower than her partner's because she did not "participate in or anticipate the level of violence that was to flow from (him)".

However, the Court of Appeal rejected the claim her sentence was manifestly unjust and dismissed her appeal.