The court heard the man had met with the victim of his offending on the morning of February 17 this year.
He was following her down the stairs near a New Plymouth beach car park when he grabbed the woman from behind in a “bear hug”. She was unable to escape his grip.
While still holding the woman, the man grabbed her phone from her and threw it into the sea.
The following day, he went to a property, where, due to his police bail conditions, he was not allowed to enter.
There, he removed a security camera in an attempt to conceal his entry before proceeding to damage the woman’s property.
He used a black permanent marker to write derogatory comments about the woman on a photo frame that had significant sentimental value to her.
Then the next day, on February 19, he took the woman’s wallet and cut up her bank cards before throwing the wallet in a rubbish bin.
In explanation for his offending, the man told police he was “angry” at the time of the incidents.
In court, Judge Gregory Hikaka found the offending was of a “very low level”, though it still met the criteria to be charged.
He went on to assess the indirect and direct consequences of a conviction as being out of all proportion to the gravity of the offending.
The victim supported the man’s application to be discharged without conviction as well as his bid for permanent name suppression.
Most of the details of the applications cannot be reported due to the suppression order.
The man felt a “deep shame” in regard to his offending, the judge said, adding he has taken a number of steps to address his issues.
After granting the applications, Judge Hikaka ordered the man to pay $1000 in emotional harm reparation to the victim for the “significant impact” the offending has had on her.
