This article describes violence against a woman and may be upsetting for some readers.

A woman thought she would die during an extended ordeal at the hands of her ex-partner, during which she was kidnapped, throttled twice, made to take drugs and then robbed.

Court documents say the woman was held against her will for about 15 hours while being driven hundreds of kilometres across Southland.

After finding refuge with friends, she was reversed into and hit by a car door while trying unsuccessfully to retrieve her belongings from the man’s vehicle.

The ex-partner then took her bank card and drained it of $3000 to buy fuel and withdraw cash.

The names of the man and the woman were suppressed in the court proceedings in which he pleaded guilty to kidnapping, strangulation, assaulting a female, dishonestly using a document and possession of cannabis.

The woman’s February 2023 ordeal had a sequel in the High Court recently, when the man’s appeal against the sentence of three years in prison for those crimes was dismissed.

The suppression of both names was made at the victim’s request. The jailed kidnapper is referred to as “Mr M” in the High Court judgment of Justice Dale La Hood.

“Mr M kidnapped his former partner when she ended their relationship,” Justice La Hood said.

“He detained her in his car while driving a long distance over many hours, forcing her to remain in the car when she tried to escape, including by strangling her on two occasions, and compelling her to take MDMA.

“The next day he assaulted her while preventing her taking back a bag of belongings, and in the days that followed used a bank card from her bag to spend $3000 of her money.”

The woman tried to get out of the vehicle at one stage, but was grabbed and prevented from doing so, despite scratching and biting the man while trying to break free.

He grabbed her back, holding her by her clothing and snapping her bra, then lifted her around the torso and forcing her back into the vehicle.

He grabbed her tightly around the throat and said, “You shouldn’t do that”. He said “I don’t want to hurt you” but kept his hand on her neck for 20 to 30 seconds while she was struggling to breathe.

Later, the woman tried to remove the keys from the ignition.

The man responded by partially climbing on top of her, placing both his hands around her neck and squeezing. He kept squeezing even after she was finding it hard to breathe.

She later told police that she felt like the man was cutting off her blood circulation and told them that she thought she was going to die.

The man and his victim camped out at the Clifden Suspension Bridge over the Waiau River at Tuatapere during her ordeal. Photo / NZPA

Woman told: ‘You will regret it’

He again kept his hands around her neck for about 20 or 30 seconds and said: “I don’t want to hurt you. I love you ... You don’t want to try that again. You will regret it.”

The woman told police that when he let go, she sat in the vehicle and “simply did not know what to do”.

During the kidnapping, the man and his victim camped part of the night at the Clifden Suspension Bridge near Tuatapere.

By this time, she had lost her phone and he had made her take a white powder which, combined with alcohol, made her feel even more vulnerable.

Even when they stopped at a home of the woman’s family, she did not disclose what had occurred to her relatives.

However, the man and his victim came into the company of some friends, one of whom argued with the man and the friends told the the man to leave.

He said he did not want to go without the victim, but she refused.

As she tried to get her bag out of the car, he reversed the vehicle, hitting her with the passenger door and causing her to stumble backwards.

The woman was left with bruising and soreness to her upper chest, arms, legs and ankle, as well as grazing to her knees.

He put her bag back in the car and left, later using the bank card without her permission.

Length of sentence challenged

The man appealed against his prison sentence on the basis the starting point used to calculate it, at four years for the lead charge of kidnapping, was too high.

The sentencing judge added three months for the other charges, then discounts for the man’s guilty pleas, and time spent on electronically monitored bail, arriving at the three-year end sentence of imprisonment.

Justice La Hood said the global starting point of four years was within range for kidnapping and strangulation.

“Strangulation can have a devastating psychological impact on victims, which makes it a uniquely effective form of intimidation, coercion and control,” he said.

“It is recognised as a precursor of more serious criminal offending, particularly homicide,” Justice La Hood said.

“An abuser who strangles a victim may not be intending to kill her but is demonstrating that they can kill. These things are directly relevant to the appellant’s culpability and increase the need for deterrence and community protection.”

He dismissed M’s appeal against sentence.

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.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME's Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke's Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.