Teeth-puller jailed for six years

Philip Hansen has been jailed for six years. Photo / NZ Herald

A man accused of pulling women's teeth out for sexual thrills has been jailed for six years.

Philip Hansen was handed the six year sentence by Judge Bruce Davidson in Wellington District Court today.

One of Hansen's victims read an impact statement before his sentencing.

"You wanted me housebound, with no teeth as your slave," she said.

She said the damage to her teeth could not be repaired and did not think she could ever put what happened behind her.

Hansen was found guilty on six assault and indecent assault charges in May.

He was found guilty on two charges of wounding with intent to injure, two of male assaults female, one of assault with intent to injure and one of indecent assault.

He was acquitted of two wounding with intent to injure charges, one of rape and one of injure with intent to injure.

Judge Davidson said there was a "gratutious, almost torture-like sense" to Hansen's offending.

The guilty charges related to offences against two women. Hansen had removed four teeth from one of these women, who had only had a chip in one tooth.

He pulled a tooth from the other woman with pliers while they were having sex in a car on the Petone foreshore. Hansen also put pliers in her mouth on another occasion.

In a separate incident the women woke to find Hansen had her in a headlock and was pushing on her teeth. At a later stage she was indecently assaulted by him.

During the trial, Crown prosecutor Sally Carter told the jury that Hansen preferred his women to be "gummy ladies" without teeth.

The charges spanned over a period of more than 20 years, from 1988 to 2011.