A Rotorua man has been jailed for belting his partner in the head with a hammer and assaulting two other women.
Rau Waiapu, 24, was sentenced to 12 months in prison when he appeared before Judge Chris McGuire in the Rotorua District Court on Monday.
The hammer attack left his partner with six stitches to a 2cm gash on her head. He went on to assault two other females, including a 15-year-old, while on bail.
Waiapu's lawyer Tim Barclay said his client "accepted his behaviour was bad".
He had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of assaulting a woman and one each of assault and injuring with intent to injure.
Mr Barclay said all three charges were a result of Waiapu abusing alcohol.
"Abuse of alcohol is the theme running through all this offending. He accepts his behaviour is bad," he said. "He is very ashamed."
About midday on May 7, Waiapu was drinking at home in James St when he and his partner got into an argument about him allegedly cheating on her.
Waiapu's partner went out on to the doorstep of their home where he continued yelling at her.
As he picked up a hammer she ran down the driveway, with Waiapu chasing.
Catching up with her, Waiapu struck her on the top of the head, making her fall to the ground. She got up and ran away to a cousin's house before being taken to Rotorua Hospital.
Appearing in court on that charge, Waiapu was bailed to reappear in court at a later date.
However, later in the month, while still on bail, he got into a disagreement with a 15-year-old girl while drinking alcohol and hit her.
Then on October 3, while drinking at an uncle's house in Wrigley Rd, Waiapu got into a scuffle with his partner as he waited to use the toilet. He ended up punching in the face a woman who had gone to the aid of his partner.
The police summary of facts states Waiapu punched her in the face without any warning with a closed fist.
When the woman fell to the floor from the force of the punch, Waiapu punched her again and she lost consciousness. She was treated at Rotorua Hospital for nose, mouth and head injuries.
When spoken to by police, he offered no explanation for his actions.
As Judge McGuire sent Waiapu to jail, he told him it was time he grew up and did something about his drinking problem.
"You are 24 years old. You are no longer a kid. You cannot afford to drink alcohol at all because you become violent ... Nothing will change unless you give up alcohol. The bottom line is Mr Waiapu, you have committed three serious crimes not only on your partner but on two other women."
Prison for hammer attack on partner
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