A seven-hour drinking session in Milton ended explosively when a man attacked two women and described how he would kill them.
Michael Scott (49) had never met his two victims until the night of July 21, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
The brief and violent incident resulted in his being convicted of assault with a weapon, assaulting a woman, strangulation, threatening to kill and threatening to do grievous bodily harm.
Scott had been drinking with the two victims and three others, but half the group went to bed by 11pm.
Suddenly, the defendant became aggressive.
He first turned his attention to the 58-year-old woman sitting beside him, berating her.
Scott smashed a large beer bottle on the table and held the jagged stump to the victim’s throat before grabbing her around the throat.
He said he would "f... kill" the woman while repeatedly throttling her.
When the second victim (51) went to help her friend, she got similar treatment.
Scott threw her back to the chair on which she had been sitting and said he would burn her alive.
He would shoot the other woman, he said.
One of the victims fled and alerted one of the male residents of the house, who witnessed Scott standing over the older woman "in an intimidating manner".
Scott was evicted and later found by police at his home.
Counsel Andy Belcher said his client fully appreciated he had a problem with alcohol and took full responsibility for this actions.
He argued Scott should receive a sentence of home detention which would be served with his wife — "a formidable woman", the lawyer said.
"I suggest she’ll bring it home to him every day," Mr Belcher said.
Judge Michael Turner noted a report assessed Scott as a medium risk of harm to others but he gave the man credit for his willingness to address his problems.
The defendant was sentenced to eight months’ home detention and 400 hours’ community work.
Scott was also ordered to pay each victim $700.
