Daniel James Thompson, 38, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting a raft of crimes committed against a woman known to him.
The campaign started on December 7 when the defendant climbed through the victim’s laundry window while she slept and stole her belongings.
He emptied her handbag and stole her car keys and eftpos card before leaving in her vehicle.
The next day, Thompson made a ‘‘multitude’’ of calls to the victim and yelled at her, a police summary said.
He claimed he had followed her movements on Google Maps, then continued the barrage of aggressive phone calls and texts.
‘‘Die c...,’’ one read.
‘‘I’m going to f... you up.’’
Thompson then gained access to the woman’s Facebook profile and defaced her profile picture with drug paraphernalia before sending messages from her account to her family about drug use and needing rehab.
The defendant later generated multiple pictures, using artificial intelligence to attach the victim’s face to pornographic images, and sent them to her.
Once he was caught, Thompson told police he stole the victim’s car because he was going to fight the guy she slept with.
Yesterday, Judge Nevin Dawson said the offending was ‘‘utterly unacceptable’’ and the defendant had ‘‘no excuse’’ for his behaviour.
‘‘You caused her great fear, which has been your intention,’’ he said.
Thompson told a Probation officer he had a long-standing drug addiction and before the crimes he was consuming $100 of methamphetamine nearly every day.
Judge Dawson considered the five months the defendant had spent in custody on remand and sentenced him to two months’ home detention, also making a protection order in favour of the victim.
‘‘You need to take a very realistic look at your life and solve the drug problem you clearly have,’’ the judge said.
‘‘You can’t blame the drugs.’’
