Early morning attack on partner

A former South Canterbury man flew into a violent rage when he caught his partner deleting messages from her phone in the early hours of the morning.

The victim suffered abrasions and bruising around her head and facial area in the attack, and was left ‘‘terrified and distraught’’.

Alan John Junior Oliver, 32, who now lives in the Waikato region, pleaded guilty to assaulting with intent to injure when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Timaru District Court on Thursday. The plea came after police prosecutor Sergeant Ian Howard withdrew a further charge of impeding her breathing.

Oliver and the victim had been in a relationship for about 10 years. They began arguing at their home address on Sullivan Rd, St Andrews, about 1.45pm on November 25, 2019.

‘‘The defendant had noticed the complainant deleting text messages from her phone and became agitated regarding their contents,’’ Howard told the court.

The argument escalated when Oliver grabbed the victim, who tried to push back, and threw her to the ground.

‘‘The defendant punched her in the face three times, after which she attempted to kick him off – to no avail.’’

She bit his hand when he tried to cover her mouth, Howard said.

‘‘She rolled over to hide her face but was then punched repeatedly in the back of her head.

‘‘She attempted to scramble out of the room through an open door. However, the defendant grabbed her ankle and dragged her back inside.

‘‘The complainant was terrified and distraught at the time of the offence.’’

When questioned by police, Oliver claimed he punched her once in the head after she attacked and bit him.

Judge Maze convicted Oliver and remanded him on bail for sentencing on July 28 in the Morrinsville District Court, close to where he was now living.

The judge ordered a pre-sentence report with appendices.