Teen stalks, attacks girlfriend

A teenager ‘‘stalked’’ his young girlfriend with scissors, held a knife to her throat and shot her with a BB gun.

The man, who has permanent name suppression, was sentenced on charges of assault, threatening to kill and wilful damage in Nelson District Court yesterday.

The summary of facts, read by Judge Tony Zohrab, described the incidents that took place between April and June 2021, when the man’s three-month relationship with his victim ended.

In the first, the victim sheltered in her car after the man became aggressive and threw water over her. The man scratched the car with a rock, then threw rocks at the vehicle.

A couple of weeks later, the ‘‘highly agitated’’ man held a lighter to the victim’s hair before grabbing a pair of 25 centimetrelong scissors.

‘‘He held them up with one hand above his shoulder like he was going to stab the victim, with the pointy end towards her,’’ Zohrab read.

The man ‘‘stalked’’ the victim down the hallway as she backed away, then held the blades to his own throat. Concerned for his safety, the victim took the scissors from him. The same afternoon, the man took a BB gun and held it to his victim’s forehead, saying ‘‘I’m going to shoot you’’, before shooting her arm.

A few weeks later, after a disagreement, the man held a 20cm serrated knife to the woman’s throat, then chased her when she left the house.

The fourth and fifth incidents involved the man tackling the victim to reach her phone, scratching her chest, biting her hand and smashing the phone. The victim suffered bruising and scratches.

The man’s lawyer, Rob Ord, said his client recognised he was ‘‘impulsive’’ and struggled to manage his emotions.

Ord requested permanent name suppression, based on a psychological report that had outlined the man’s depressive and anxiety disorders, and self harm and suicidal ideation.

Judge Zohrab noted that each incident became progressively more serious, with aggravating factors including the use of weapons.

‘‘There’s a cumulative effect which has had a lasting impact upon [the victim],’’ Zohrab said.

Citing the man’s mental health, Zohrab said the bar for permanent name suppression had been reached. However, the man would not likely be granted the same condition if he offended again, Zohrab said.

Zohrab sentenced the man to four months’ community detention, 12 months’ intensive supervision and ordered him to pay $2693 reparation. He was not to associate with the victim, who was granted a protection order, and ordered to access probationordered help and assessments.