Jayden Tumaita, 21, appeared in the Gore District Court this week after pleading guilty to two charges of breaching a protection order and assault in a family relationship.
The court heard that last year the defendant was convicted of two charges of assault with intent to injure, assault in a family relationship and assault which related to the same victim.
Counsel Scott Williamson said at the last sentencing "everyone knew they were going to get back together" but the relationship had now ended.
He advocated for a short sentence of home detention as the defendant had spent three months in custody.
"He’s been desperate to get out of prison ... so hopefully that has had a deterrent effect," Mr Williamson said.
On October 30 Tumaita and the victim were at a Mataura address, where he stood over the victim and verbally abused her.
He took her cellphone so she could not call for help, then threw her to the floor.
"Clearly, he’s not getting the message," Judge Thomas Ingram said.
He was concerned Tumaita had not learned his lesson, despite a sentence of community work and supervision last year.
"That wasn’t enough to prevent you going off the rails again in the way that you have on this occasion," he said.
"There [was] no need to assault her in the way that you did."
The judge said he wanted to see Tumaita under "tightly controlled conditions".
He sentenced the defendant to four months’ home detention with six months’ post-detention conditions.
