Timaru man who beat wife so severely he burst her eardrum back in Fiji after deportation threat

Jone Vuetaki. Photo / Facebook

A man convicted of beating his wife so severely that he perforated her eardrum and temporarily deafened her, has left New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand last week confirmed they were set to deport Jone Vuetaki, 26.

A source has confirmed that the family violence offender has now returned to Fiji where he was born.

In August Vuetaki was sentenced in the Timaru District Court to 130 hours of community work for a vicious assault on this then-wife in November last year.

She was holding their baby daughter at the time of the attack.

The meat worker denied the charge but was found guilty after a trial before Judge Joanna Maze.

After he was sentenced Immigration New Zealand revealed that Vuetaki was here illegally and had been in the country unlawfully since March.

"Vuetaki is liable for deportation, but INZ strongly encourages him to settle his affairs and make arrangements to leave the country as soon as possible by departing voluntarily."

Vuetaki assaulted his wife after an argument.

She was holding their 9-month-old daughter at the time.

Vuetaki swung at her, hitting her hard on the left side of the face.

She fell to the ground, and realised she could not hear. Her eardrum had been perforated and her hearing was affected for some time after the assault.

At his trial the court heard that Vuetaki had been abusing his wife for "years".

The couple have since separated.