11 months’ prison for breaching protection order, driving offences

AN Oamaru man with an ‘‘extraordinary’’ number of previous convictions has been jailed for 11 months for his most recent offences.

Aaron Malcolm Boden (39) appeared before Judge Emma Smith in the Oamaru District Court on Friday for sentencing on charges of breaching a protection order, driving while disqualified and driving at a dangerous speed. The charges of breaching a protection order and driving while disqualified related to an incident on December 19 last year in Oamaru.

The court heard Boden and an associate were both riding motorcycles along Awamoa Rd, Oamaru. They parked outside the home of a woman Boden had been served a protection order against on April 14 that year, and revved loudly at the end of the driveway.

The woman came outside to investigate. Boden removed his helmet and began yelling at her.

He threw about six punches at her, while she attempted to deflect his blows with her arms. She distracted him by saying there were children watching and ran away from him.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Simon Reay said the victim sustained injuries — bruising and soreness to her arms — and the incident occurred at her home, where children were present.

Sgt Reay told Judge Smith it was Boden’s seventh driving while disqualified or suspended charge, and he also had previous convictions for violence against the victim.

Boden’s lawyer, Ngaire Alexander, acting on behalf of Emma Middlemass, said the defendant had voluntarily completed a crisis plan to identify early warning signs and prevent further offending. He was remorseful and motivated to change, and she believed he had the ability to succeed, she said.

Boden also admitted a charge of driving at a dangerous speed on November 10 last year. Police clocked him travelling at 141kmh in a 70kmh zone in Kaiata. He told police he was thinking of buying the vehicle and was taking it for a test drive.

Judge Smith described Boden’s actions that day as ‘‘arrogant’’ and said he posed a danger to himself and others around him in the residential area.

The judge acknowledged the steps Boden had taken to address his behaviour, but his ‘‘real predicament’’ was his ‘‘extraordinary’’ number of previous convictions, including for violence, driving offences and breaching sentences. Previous sentences had made no difference to his approach to others, and he had outstanding fines of almost $6000.

‘‘You are selfish, you are arrogant, you are violent, you are dangerous,’’ she told him.

Judge Smith sentenced Boden to a total of 11 months’ jail, disqualified him from driving for 15 months and ordered him to pay court costs of $130.