KEY POINTS:
A man with a history of using his wheelchair as a weapon to commit violent offences was today jailed for 21 months for his two most recent attacks.
Abdirashid Hirsi, 36, had travelled to Lower Hutt from Feilding to spend a week with the woman he went on to attack as they were thinking of having a relationship, a court heard.
The pair were drinking at a neighbours' house and at one point the woman went home to see her stepmother.
When she returned, Hirsi accused her of having cheated on him.
Eventually the other guests went home and the victim wanted to leave also, but Hirsi wanted to stay and continue drinking.
As the woman opened the door to leave, Hirsi said something to her which she could not hear.
She bent down beside his wheelchair so she could better hear him. Hirsi then grabbed the woman and hit her on the head three times with the detachable arm of his wheelchair.
The victim threw herself on the floor to evade more blows then Hirsi tried to run over her.
The victim dialled 111 but was too traumatised to speak. A man at the house who had responded to her cries for help took the phone. Hirsi told him the victim had fallen over.
The victim rejected this, saying Hirsi had beaten her up.
Using his mobile phone, Hirsi then made repeated attempts to divert the ambulance by giving contradictory and false directions in the hope that the ambulance and police would not come, Judge Anne Gaskell said.
He continued to make calls to the ambulance service even after police had arrived.
Hirsi then assaulted a police officer who tried to arrest him by digging his fingers into her hand.
The complainant required stitches for a cut to her head, but chose not to get them because she did not want to have her hair cut.
In a victim impact statement she said she suffered headaches for some time after the attack.
Hirsi came to New Zealand from Somalia 12 years ago and is a permanent resident. He is unable to walk unaided because he had polio as a child. He also suffered leg injuries in a car accident.
He has amassed 14 convictions for violence since he has been in the country.
His lawyer, Tony Rickard-Sims said: "The wheelchair for Mr Hirsi is an extension of his body."
Hirsi appeared at Wellington District Court today for sentencing on one charge of injuring with intent to injure, a charge of using a phone for fictitious purposes, a charge of assaulting police and a charge of wilful damage.
Outlining the facts of the case, Judge Gaskell told the court the first three charges related to the same incident.
Hirsi was found guilty by a jury who rejected his defence that the victim received injuries to her head after falling while intoxicated.
He today entered a guilty plea to the charge of wilful damage.
Hirsi had used his wheelchair to smash his way into his niece's house, uninvited and while she was out, in order to allow an associate to stay there, Mr Rickard-Sims said.
Judge Gaskell sentenced Hirsi to a total of 21 months' jail and denied leave to apply for home detention.
- NZPA
