Terrifying ordeal for woman

A Horowhenua man who strangled his former partner until she passed out during eight hours of torment is back behind bars.

Brian Charles Mark De Ridder held the woman hostage in her own home, locked the doors and smashed her phone as he strangled her twice, dragged her by the hair and threatened to kill her early on January 27.

De Ridder, who had a protection order against him, took a steak knife and warned he would ‘‘slit her throat’’ if she reported him after stealing her phone and discovering messages from another man.

Previously, the couple’s fouryear relationship had been plagued by 24 reports of family violence, Judge Lance Rowe said as he sentenced De Ridder in the Palmerston North District Court on Friday to two years and nine months’ imprisonment.

De Ridder’s parents watched from the public gallery as the judge recounted the woman’s night of terror inflicted by their son.

He had visited her home early in the evening to retrieve some tools following their breakup, but returned at midnight.

De Ridder followed her into the kitchen and began searching her phone.

He became abusive upon finding texts with other men and asked why the victim didn’t love him.

A shouting match ensued, waking one of the woman’s daughters.

But the victim instructed her to go back to bed.

De Ridder suffocated the victim until she passed out.

Upon regaining consciousness, the woman rang police and told an operator her address before De Ridder seized the phone and smashed it against a wardrobe.

He fled as police arrived, but the torment wasn’t over.

The victim stayed at her mother’s home as police attempted to find De Ridder. He banged on the door soon after, warning she wasn’t safe.

‘‘Looking at the victim impact statement, the psychological effects were much worse than the physical,’’ the judge said.

‘‘The events happened at [the victim’s] home, where she was entitled to feel safe.

‘‘One of the sad things that occurs in domestic violence in New Zealand is homicide by strangulation and I don’t think you know how close you were to causing that.’’