‘Enough’s enough,’ judge tells violent offender

A man with a history of family violence and breach of protection order offences has been sent to prison, with the judge telling him, “enough’s enough”.

Shane Aaron Adams, 34, appeared in the Invercargill District Court this week, having earlier pleaded guilty to charges stemming from four separate incidents, including contravening protection orders, resisting police, assaulting police, threatening behaviour and wilful damage.

The judge said Adams’ offending included intimidating his victim so he could see his son, and while being arrested, he threatened to break the arms of the arresting officer, before later placing a constable in a headlock and squeezing his neck.

“You kept squeezing until the constable was forced to strike you in the face, wrestle you to the ground and handcuff you,” the judge said.

Another offence included using a baseball bat to strike the wing mirror of a car associated with the victim, Adams’ former partner, the judge said.

On another occasion, he grabbed the same victim, whom he had an argument with, grasped her throat and slammed her body into a vehicle, causing her to drop to the ground. “[That was] a second breach of the protection order within a short period of time, this one accompanied by violence,” the judge said.

Since 2010, Adams had accumulated 10 convictions for family violence, violence and breach of protection orders, the judge said.

“You have these significant numbers of convictions which have arisen out of disputes and violence in family relationships.

“The message to you today, Mr Adams ... is enough’s enough. These protection orders are designed to exist for the protection of the protected persons, in this context your former partner.”

Home detention had not worked in the past, the judge said. “You will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 19 months.”