Prison for man who terrorised his family

A man whose three-year “reign of terror” over his family left them fearing for their lives has been jailed for four years.

On the day the 45-year-old was due to stand trial in the Auckland District Court, he pleaded guilty to 18 charges of violence against his wife, son and daughter.

At his sentencing last week, the court heard how the man — who cannot be named because it may identify the victims — had moved his family to New Zealand 10 years ago in search of a better life.

Instead, he became frustrated with “financial, cultural and social pressures” and turned to alcohol.

Between 2011 and 2014, he beat his wife and teenage children in a number of shocking ways with an array of weapons.

Charge sheets from when he was first arrested also detailed allegations that he would beat his wife if she did not follow his orders to attack their son and daughter.

Judge Grant Fraser did not read the 17-page summary of facts in court, but he outlined some of the violence.

On one occasion, the accused smashed his son over the head with a broken metal pipe covered in ash and grease, then jabbed it at his throat in a stabbing motion.

“I can do this if you want it, if you don’t study properly,” the man said.

He also mocked the boy’s physical appearance, and once made him stand still as he plucked every hair from his chin, the judge said.

The defendant’s daughter was similarly targeted. The court heard how the man would tackle her to the ground and sit on her, and he once smashed a hole in a wall using her head.

“The reality of this offending is that across three years there was a reign of terror,” the judge said.

Police said the family had moved to a secret location but were still concerned the man would track them down once released from jail.

Defence counsel Steven Lack said his client had “essentially lost everything” and asked for home detention, but Judge Fraser said prison was the only option.