Teen's high-rise escape from attacker

Moses Tapine. Photo / NZ Police

A teenager who was tied up and told her throat was going to be slit had to climb across balconies nine floors above the ground to escape her attacker, a court has been told.

Moses William Eddie Tapine, 39, appeared in Auckland District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to counts of kidnapping, injuring with intent to injure and threatening to kill.

Judge Mary Beth Sharp sentenced him to two years and three months' imprisonment, saying home detention would send the wrong message to the community for what was "serious violent offending".

The charges stemmed from an incident in July when Tapine persuaded the 17-year-old victim to go back to his apartment with him.

Once in there, the offender threatened to commit suicide before punching the victim five times in the face and dragging her by the hair to the bedroom.

Tapine took one shoelace and bound her ankles and used the other to tie her wrists together, as well as using a scarf to gag her.

He briefly left the room before returning with a boning knife.

As she lay there he told the teenager: "If you move, I will stab you in the throat".

When his ex-partner knocked on the door, the victim was able to slip the bindings and escape to the balcony where she tried to climb over the rails.

Moments later Tapine returned and grabbed at the back of her shirt while she made the precarious manoeuvre dozens of metres above the ground.

After slipping from his grasp she leapt across to a neighbouring balcony and banged on a door.

When no one answered she made the dangerous climb across to the next apartment where the occupier let her in and called police.

The entire incident took place while there were two young children at Tapine's home.

Judge Sharp accepted Crown prosecutor Tim McGuigan's submissions that there was premeditation in Tapine's actions when he coerced the teen back to his apartment.

"One of the hallmarks of a deeply violent relationship is a power imbalance and I couldn't think of a more graphic illustration of that than a man of 39 and a girl of 17 or 18," the judge said.

She said it was important to highlight Tapine's difficult upbringing, which contributed to his violent outbursts as an adult.

"He's probably the best or worst example of a dysfunctional and violent childhood," Judge Sharp said.

Defence counsel John Corby said his client wanted to serve a sentence of home detention so that he could continue therapy sessions but the judge was unmoved.

"If I felt I'd be sending the right message to the community, I'd have no hesitation in giving him the option of attending therapy on home detention but that would send exactly the wrong message," Judge Sharp said.