A man who beat a woman with a wooden baseball bat and held her at knifepoint because she refused to have sex has been described as a “beautiful man” by the victim.

Lyall Anzac Hetariki appeared at the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday for sentencing after repeatedly hitting her with a bat, leaving bruising.

The 52-year-old was charged with assaulting a person with a blunt instrument and a stabbing weapon and refusing to provide police with his photograph or fingerprints.

However, the woman, who said she was asleep when she got “attacked for no reason” hoped Hetariki could get the help and support he needed.

According to the summary of facts, on December 14 last year Hetariki went into the woman’s bedroom about 3am and woke her up to initiate sex.

When she refused he picked up a wooden baseball bat and began hitting her in the back, causing the woman to roll off the bed onto the floor.

Hetariki then hit her on the head with the bat. The woman managed to get up and call the police, but Hetariki grabbed her and held a knife against her torso, cutting her.

Police arrived at the address a short time later and Hetariki was arrested. While in police custody he refused to provide his photo and fingerprints.

When questioned, Hetariki admitted hitting the woman with the baseball bat.

The woman suffered bruising to her back and arms and a cut to her torso.

The man’s lawyer said Hetariki had apologised to the woman during a restorative justice meeting and hoped she could move forward from the event.

Judge Quentin Hix described the woman as being vulnerable given she was asleep when Hetariki approached her. Hetariki’s offending was compounded by the fact he used two weapons against the woman.

The court heard Hetariki had 18 pages of previous convictions but most did not involve assault, indicating he was not a significantly violent person, Judge Hix said.

He then sentenced Hetariki to 15 months in prison and granted him leave to apply for a residential programme if there was space available.

Emily Moorhouse is a Christchurch-based Open Justice journalist at NZME. She joined NZME in 2022. Before that, she was at the Christchurch Star.

FAMILY VIOLENCE

How to get help:

If you're in danger now:

• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.

Where to go for help or more information:

• Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450
• Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.
• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.

How to hide your visit:

If you are reading this information on the Herald website and you're worried that someone using the same computer will find out what you've been looking at, you can follow the steps at the link here to hide your visit. Each of the websites above also has a section that outlines this process.