Jail after man sent hundreds of messages to ex

Protection order: But Kendall contacted ex-partner

Aman who sent hundreds of abusive messages to his expartner has been sentenced to two years in prison.

“You need to accept that the relationship is over,” Judge Lance Rowe told him.

“You must change your behaviour, if you have difficulty accepting the end of your relationship.

“That is your difficulty, not hers.”

Nicholas Kendall appeared before the Levin District Court facing 26 charges of breaching a protection order made against him.

Over the course of 17 months he sent hundreds of texts and Facebook messages, as well as attempting to call the woman and leaving abusive voicemails.

The messages were a range of allegations that she was intimate with others, she was using drugs, threats to contact Oranga Tamariki about their daughter and statements he was outside her house, or was going to be.

When none of those worked he would deposit money into her account to get her attention.

“The nature of these messages was highly controlling, manipulative and abusive,” Judge Rowe said.

The 26 charges related to more than 300 instances of contact with his ex while a protection order was against him.

Twenty-five of those contacts were classed as psychologically abusive.

Judge Rowe said the offending had a significant impact on the victim, and she’d had to withdraw from university.

“Your persistent contact continued despite her repeated requests that you stop. By repeatedly contacting her despite all these things … it sent a clear message that her wishes didn’t matter.”

“This happened over a significant period of time.

“This conduct undermines a victim’s confidence, sense of self worth and autonomy.”

The judge went on to describe how the woman was petrified the offending would continue the moment Kendall was released from prison.

“There was palpable relief when you were finally remanded in custody.”

All of Kendall’s offences were committed while under some form of court order.

Many of them were committed while he was on home detention and others while he was on bail.

You must change your behaviour, if you have difficulty accepting the end of your relationship. That is your difficulty, not hers. Judge Lance Rowe