Man stung by wasps during bungled escape after stabbing neighbour

The defendant woke up in hospital covered in wasp stings. Photo / iStock

Reon Witute woke up in hospital covered in wasp stings with no idea how he got them.

He had to be told it had happened during a bungled escape after drunkenly stabbing his neighbour.

The 43-year-old was reminded of the boozy fiasco in Auckland District Court this afternoon where he was jailed for nearly two years on a charge of wounding with intent to injure.

Witute was drinking with a friend at his Ponsonby home on February 4 when he realised Te Aroha Tutai, who lived in a nearby unit, was also drinking with her partner.

The group became increasingly intoxicated until an argument erupted between the defendant and Ms Tutai.

The pair began yelling and shoving each other before Witute grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the woman twice in her stomach.

But his clumsy escape from the property saw him disturb a wasps' nest and sustain a significant number of stings.

He soon followed Ms Tutai to hospital where he had to be sedated.

In court today, his lawyer Nicholas Wintour said Witute could not remember anything about the incident and accepted he needed treatment for his harmful alcohol use.

Judge Claire Ryan said it was purely good luck the victim's injuries were not more serious but in a statement before the court Ms Tutai took some responsibility for the events.

"The victim accepted she was partly to blame for the argument but said she did not deserve to be stabbed. She's absolutely right," the judge said.

Witute's sentence was increased for his 42 previous convictions, which included domestic violence, assault with a weapon and threatening to kill, as well as various driving and cannabis offences.

"The problem is alcohol and drugs, your lifestyle, friends and associates; and when you get angry and upset when you've been drinking, you tend to lash out," Judge Ryan said.

But the judge was impressed by Witute's efforts since he had been in custody.

The court was provided with various certificates for courses he completed in prison, including anger management and parenting programmes.

Judge Ryan sentenced Witute to 21 months in prison but left open the opportunity to convert that to home detention if a residential rehabilitation spot became available.