No conviction for violence

A man who struck his wife multiple times with an extension cord, leaving her with welts and bruising, has escaped conviction.

About 7pm on April 19 last year, Wilfred Lawrence Dsouza returned to his New Plymouth home after having drinks with a friend. The summary of facts said his wife was in the bedroom resting and the door to the room was locked.

Dsouza, an Indian national, repeatedly banged on the door in an effort to talk to his wife, the force of which broke the lock.

He then hit his wife with an open hand then tried to hit her with an ironing board.

Dsouza then hit his wife with an extension cord repeatedly on her legs and hands.

As the victim phoned for help, Dsouza continued to threaten her and said he intended to plug the iron in and burn her with it.

The 39-year-old previously pleaded guilty to assault with a blunt instrument and at Friday’s hearing in the New Plymouth District Court, his lawyer, Megan Boyd, sought a discharge without conviction.

In support of his application were letters from his employer and wife, along with information about counselling he had attended.

The discharge without conviction was opposed by prosecutor Stephanie Simpkin. She said due to the seriousness of the charge, avoiding a conviction was not appropriate. Simpkin added that any impact of a conviction on Dsouza’s ability to stay in the country was for Immigration NZ to decide. Judge Chris Sygrove took into account the defendant’s lack of previous convictions and that he was under stress at the time of the offending as he struggled to find suitable work.

Judge Sygrove also referred to a victim impact statement written by Dsouza’s wife, where she asked him to take a lenient approach.

Dsouza had also taken steps to change his behaviour and now knew how seriously family violence was taken in New Zealand, compared with India where a police warning was given, the judge said.

‘‘You need to understand that you live in New Zealand now, not India, and it’s not OK at all.’’

He ruled the consequences of a conviction outweighed the gravity of the offending.