Violent mental health patient left nurses in fear

A Marlborough man who repeatedly abused and threatened mental health workers, and police, would be in prison if it wasn’t for his ‘‘longstanding significant mental illness’’.

At the Blenheim District Court on Monday, Matthew Gordon Duncan, 30, pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including threatening to kill/do grievous bodily harm, assaulting police, arson and common assault.

His offending, while he was a patient at the mental health unit in Nelson, spanned nine weeks, from February 14 to April 25.

In that time, Duncan punched a mental health nurse, causing the nurse’s nose to bleed, assaulted a police officer, lit the side of a couch on fire, and told a police officer he would rape her, after saying he had ‘‘raped a woman before and was responsible for a person’s death’’.

His lawyer, Mark Dollimore, said Duncan suffered from both mental and physical health issues and had been taking medication at the time of the offending.

Dollimore said the impact on his client’s victims, mainly mental health workers, had been ‘‘significant’’ both physically and mentally. ‘‘The general theme is one of fear probably, to be frank,’’ he said.

Judge Jo Rielly said Duncan’s victims ‘‘remained fearful’’ of him, and said the victim impact statements made for ‘‘extremely sad and concerning reading’’.

‘‘If I was sentencing you, Mr Duncan, as a man not significantly affected by mental health issues, you would be receiving a moderately lengthy term of imprisonment. But in sentencing you today, I must take into account your personal circumstances,’’ the judge said.

‘‘You have a longstanding significant mental illness, and I entirely accept that the circumstances of that illness significantly contributed to why you committed these criminal acts,’’ she said.

Judge Rielly sentenced Duncan to six months’ community detention, with a daily curfew of 7pm to 7am, and two years’ intensive supervision.

He was not to possess or consume alcohol or drugs nor associate or communicate with any gang members.

He was denied permanent name suppression in court on Monday.

‘‘I consider that there is a public interest in your name not being suppressed because of the nature of the charges that you face,’’ Judge Rielly said.