The defendant, aged in his 30s, who is serving a jail term of more than two years, had four and a-half months added to that sentence at the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
While the man’s previous crimes have received significant media coverage, they cannot be detailed after Judge Emma Smith suppressed the man’s name.
In June, while on bail for his other charges, the defendant was at his ex-partner’s home with their children, the court heard.
When the woman arrived home, he confronted her about messages on her phone, labelling her a ‘‘whore’’ and a ‘‘slut’’.
The defendant grabbed her by the shoulders with both hands and pushed her to the floor.
Court documents detailed how the man got on top of the victim and forced her face into the ground, causing a carpet burn.
He then punched her five times — in the jaw, temple and back of the head — repeating the derogatory comments as he did so.
The court heard the woman sustained a black eye as well as bruising and tenderness to other areas of her head.
Judge Smith called it an ‘‘extreme’’ case of common assault.
‘‘Multiple punches to the head, a vulnerable victim prone on the ground in her own home with children present, with degrading comments, and injuries occurred,’’ she said.
Despite the assault, the victim wrote to the court outlining the defendant’s ‘‘impressive’’ behaviour over a long period of time.
It was that submission which convinced the judge that the defendant’s identity should be suppressed in this matter, along with those of his victim and their children.
The man will be eligible for parole later this year.
