Man pierced door with machete, struck victim

AN Invercargill man stabbed a machete through a door and struck a person on the other side, a court has heard.

Jahna Desmond Hopkins, 27, appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to assault with intent to injure, possessing a weapon and doing a threatening act.

The court heard on February 9, the defendant went to an Invercargill address where his grandmother and the victim, aged in his 30s, were.

Hopkins knocked on the door and when an occupant opened it, he gave them a menacing look before barging inside.

He then pulled a machete from his pants and approached the man with it.

The victim escaped into another room and held the door shut.

Hopkins stabbed the weapon through the door multiple times, scraping the victim’s knuckle on one occasion.

‘‘You engaged in conduct that was frankly terrifying [for] the occupants,’’ Judge Michael Crosbie said.

‘‘In the moment, he thought you were there to kill him.’’

The court heard after the incident the victim was hypervigilant in his home.

Judge Crosbie said it seemed Hopkins held a grudge against the victim.

The defendant had no prior convictions and the judge described the offending as ‘‘a massive fall from grace’’.

He sentenced Hopkins to six months’ home detention.