Aaron Gourlay, 53, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting charges of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and assault with a weapon and two charges of breaching release conditions.
The court heard that on December 3, 2024, the defendant’s friend of 20 years was drinking with Gourlay’s ex-partner at her home.
Gourlay lived about 100m away from his former partner.
Shortly after midnight, the defendant broke into her house, damaging the lock and glass in the door.
He was wielding a baseball bat in one hand and a machete in the other.
Without warning, Gourlay launched at the man and struck him repeatedly with the machete and bat in a minute-long frenzied ambush.
During the attack, the defendant also hit the woman on her leg.
The woman and her son managed to drag the defendant off the victim and out of the house.
Gourlay fled to another address and discarded the machete and bat.
Police later located the weapons and arrested the defendant.
The male victim was treated in hospital after the attack, sustaining two broken ribs, a cut on his arm, two haematomas and bruising and swelling about his body.
In a statement to the court he said he suffered "extraordinary and extreme pain".
Yesterday, Crown prosecutor Craig Power noted "extremely concerning" comments Gourlay made to a probation officer and said he was described as posing an "unwaning risk to the community".
Counsel Paige Noorland said her client struggled with alcohol addiction and wanted to take part in rehabilitation.
Judge Emma Smith said the defendant was on release conditions at the time of the crime and was attending a rehabilitation programme.
He knew alcohol made him "disinhibited and often extremely violent", she said.
The judge noted Gourlay attempted to justify the attack to the probation officer and claimed he did not hit the woman.
"Your lack of remorse in the probation report was simply striking — you almost took no responsibility," she said.
Judge Smith sentenced Gourlay to seven and a-half years’ imprisonment and made a protection order in favour of his ex-partner.
She also made the defendant subject to a firearms prohibition order, which bans him from accessing, using or being around firearms for up to 10 years.
