Jealousy sparks partner assault

William Young Rimene, 31, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, breaching a protection order, two counts of breach of supervision, breach of community work, and driving while disqualified.

Jealously took over when William Young Rimene found his estranged partner drinking with a friend so he pushed her around and stopped her calling police.

The 31-year-old shearer, who earlier pleaded guilty to charges of breaching a protection order, two counts of breach of supervision and breach of community work along with one count of driving while disqualified, yesterday pleaded guilty to a charge of assault after the charge was down graded by police from male assaults female.

He admitted the amended charge when he appeared before Judge Tony Walsh in the Masterton District Court.

Community Corrections recommended a sentence of home detention for Rimene but his defence lawyer, Virginia Pearson, told the court her client would lose his job if he was sentenced to a community lock-down sentence. Home detention requires a convicted person to serve their sentence at home which is monitored.

She asked the court to consider community detention instead - which would require him to serve his sentence at home during specified hours with a curfew.

The court heard Rimene and his former-partner had been together about 10 years and had two children together but the relationship ended in March this year.

However, on May 11, just after midnight, Rimene went to the woman's home where he found her drinking with a friend and he became "jealous", the police summary of facts states.

She told him he had no right to be at the house and that she didn't want him there, telling him several times to leave.

As she tried to call police, he ripped the phone from the wall, the summary states.

When she tried to leave, Rimene pulled her back inside the house and slammed the door while her fingers were still in the door.

She tried to leave with her cellphone but he "grabbed her from behind" and pushed the woman onto the couch, breaking a necklace around her neck, according to the summary of facts.

Yanking the cellphone from her grasp, skin broke on the inside of palm.

He left a short time later and when spoken to by police stated he was "upset finding another male at the address".

Ms Pearson told the court the woman still supported Rimene and wanted him to continue working so he could support her and their children.

"Home detention has consequences. He will have to give up his employment ... he would rather be working and contributing to his family," she said.

She went on to explain to the court Rimene was in breach with Community Corrections because he lived rural.

"He wants to focus on working."

Judge Walsh adjourned sentencing for Rimene to provide proof to the court he was in employment but that Rimene was "running out of options".

"The court needs to be satisfied he has a job in reality ... I'm concerned you are just not going to do the sentence imposed," he told Rimene.

Rimene will be back in court on October 10 for sentencing.