The victim, who suffered a broken toe, two black eyes and hair pulled out at the roots, begged Judge Michael Turner to sentence her partner Forde Nehemia Jury (44) to a community-based sentence and said they were planning to get married ''as soon as possible''.
But it was not enough.
The judge said the ''prolonged and gratuitous'' assault had to be met with a sentence of imprisonment.
Jury was jailed for 21 months when he appeared before the Dunedin District Court last week.
He and the woman were at their South Dunedin home on May 6 when an argument developed.
Throughout the night, Jury mercilessly laid into his partner.
''The defendant kicked and punched the victim on numerous occasions, grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the walls, causing her to fall to the ground, and stomped on the victim's foot, breaking her toe in the process,'' a police summary said.
The woman was so traumatised by the incident, she was too afraid to leave the house to seek help, Judge Turner said.
Despite her extensive injuries the victim said she trusted Jury would not repeat the dose.
She told the judge they had tried everything in their power to stop the meltdown occurring but help was too slow in coming.
''I want him to return home to support me in my hour of need,'' the victim said.
She had struggled to cope without Jury, she said, and had been financially crippled by his absence.
''I want us to move forward as a loving couple, as we truly are,'' she told the court.
Defence counsel Anne Stevens said on the night in question, her client had consumed a box of ''Maverick'' RTDs and ''other alcohol on top of that''.
Jury now understood he could not drink, she said.
Judge Turner noted several violent convictions in the defendant's history, stretching back to 1995. Jury had been assessed as a medium risk of reoffending.
But Ms Stevens said he had worked on addressing his addiction issues while behind bars and had got a job working in the prison kitchen.
He had family from Napier and Christchurch in court to support him but it was not enough for the judge to release him into the community.
The principles of ''accountability and deterrence'' meant Jury's conviction for injuring with intent to injure had to be met with a stern response, the judge said.
Despite the result, the defendant gave a thumbs up to supporters as he was led away.
