A methamphetamine bender that led a 28-year-old man to "pile drive" a man headfirst into a floor and stab another man just days later has resulted in him being jailed for two years and 10 months.
Stratus-Lee Svensson appeared by audiovisual link from Invercargill Prison before Judge Michael Turner in the Alexandra District Court yesterday for sentence on six charges — two of wilful damage, wounding with intent to injure showing reckless disregard (stabbing), two charges of assault with intent to injure, a charge of speaking using threatening and intimidating language and one of cutting off an electronic monitoring device.
Counsel Sonia Vidal, also appearing via video link from Invercargill, in submissions said her client’s offending was influenced by his use of methamphetamine but he was determined to seek treatment for that and alcoholism.
Judge Turner dealt with Svensson’s charges chronologically.
At 11pm on February 18 he was at an Alexandra tavern with friends including the victim. Svensson "took exception" to a patron in the bar and appeared to want to assault him.
The victim restrained Svensson to prevent him from assaulting the patron, Judge Turner said.
"This action aggravated you and you picked up the victim, flipped him upside down and slammed him, in what is known as a pile drive manoeuvre, headfirst into the floor.
"Given he weighed about 100kg this was no mean feat."
The victim lost consciousness and was treated at Dunstan Hospital.
On February 24 at 10.15 outside an Alexandra takeaway store, Svensson approached the second victim and threatened to kill him.
Shortly after the incident Svensson was the passenger in a vehicle when he saw the victim driving in his classic car and lobbed a beer bottle at the vehicle, Judge Turner said.
This was repeated two more times around Alexandra when the final bottle hit the victim’s vehicle and caused $1512 worth of damage.
The victim managed to make contact with Svensson’s partner, whom he knew, and tracked Svensson to the Alexandra Holiday Park where he was staying.
Unbeknown to the victim when he got to where Svensson was he had armed himself with a knife.
In the confrontation that followed Svensson swung the knife at the victim five to six times, stabbing him twice — once in the left side of the chest, and a second time in the abdomen.
He was treated at Dunstan Hospital before later being flown to Dunedin, Judge Turner said.
As a result of media coverage Svensson later handed in to police.
On July 1, Svensson was granted electronically monitored (EM) bail.
On October 31 he cut off the EM bail bracelet resulting in the final charge.
Judge Turner adopted a starting point for sentence of three years and eight months before settling on a total two years and 10 months’ jail on all charges.
