Hoani Pue-Skellern was found guilty at trial of beating up his partner. Photo / 123rf
Hoani Pue-Skellern was found guilty at trial of beating up his partner. Photo / 123rf
As a baby boy was being brought into the world, his father was in court being jailed for beating the newborn's mother. The whānau's poignant day was labelled a tragedy by the sentencing judge who said prison was the only option.
Hoani Pue-Skellern's partner had gone into labour about 1am on Friday, his lawyer Suzie Abdale told New Plymouth District Court at 10am that same day.
"He knows what he's getting; it's a boy," she said of the couple's third child.
If not for being in labour, the woman would have been in court to support Pue-Skellern, who she remains in a relationship with and says she has forgiven.
Pue-Skellern appeared for sentence on a raft of charges, all related to breaching a protection order and a vicious assault on his partner that left her body bruised and split open her head.
It's offending that he denied but was ultimately found guilty of by a jury in a Taranaki trial.
The assault was laid bare by Judge Tony Greig at today's hearing, detailing that on December 10, 2020, the couple got into an argument and Pue-Skellern hit the woman with a pillow.
When she got up to leave the room they were in, he grabbed her by the arm and held her, preventing her from leaving.
Hoani Pue-Skellern was sentenced in New Plymouth District Court on Friday. Photo / Tara Shaskey
He threw her on the floor and as she attempted to crawl out of the room he shouted: "I'm going to f****** kill you."
She called 111 but Pue-Skellern, who in 2019 was served with a final protection order in relation to the woman, snatched the phone and disconnected the call.
He grabbed her by her arms, picked her up and threw her into a door frame, causing her to hit her head.
At that point, the woman crumpled to the ground but Pue-Skellern's attack didn't wane. He delivered a flurry of kicks to her arms and legs as she curled into a ball to protect herself.
When she managed to get to her feet and run to the door, he tackled her to the ground. A family member then intervened and the police arrived shortly after.
The kicks to the woman's body left her with "savage" bruises and as a result of the impact to her head, she suffered a cut that required several stitches, Judge Greig said.
The attack happened in front of one of the couple's children.
When it went to trial, Pue-Skellern had people lie for him and persuaded his partner to change her evidence, the judge said.
But if Pue-Skellern had instead accepted what he had done and pleaded guilty, Judge Greig said he likely would have avoided jail.
"I'm going to send you to prison today, I feel I have no option. I would prefer not to have to do that but I feel I have to.
"And the tragedy of it all is that your third child is now being born as we speak."
Judge Greig had a message to other men that might find themselves in similar situations to Pue-Skellern.
"I want to emphasise to any other man in your position - come clean."
Before the judge had revealed Pue-Skellern's fate, Abdale had argued for a sentence of home detention.
She said it was a unique case in that the couple want to remain together and that her client does not have any underlying conditions and did not have a problem with aggression per se.
His criminal history is only in respect of his partner, who he has been in a relationship with for four and a half years.
Abdale said references in support of Pue-Skellern described him as a "remarkable young man" who worked hard as a stevedore and contributed to his iwi.
"This is a psychological issue, he needs psychological help," Abdale said, adding that he could receive that help through home detention.
But Crown prosecutor Rebekah Hicklin said there was nothing unique about the case and called for a sentence of five years' imprisonment.
In emphasising the protective aspect of sentencing, Hicklin said domestic violence is a scourge on society and a strong message was needed to be given to Pue-Skellern and the community that it will not be tolerated.
"The defendant has a baby on the way. This baby should not be brought into a situation where he is exposed to further family violence."
Judge Greig agreed and revealed that following Pue-Skellern's trial he had written to Oranga Tamariki and urged the agency to get involved.
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