Jealous man jailed: Deliberately ploughs into quad bike driven by ex-girlfriend

A man suffered a brain injury after he was thrown from a quad bike on Ihaia Rd in Ōpunake. Photo / Google Maps

Embittered by envy, Patrick Smith put his foot on the accelerator and steered his car into the back of a quad bike being driven by his ex-girlfriend – causing her male passenger to be thrown from the bike and suffer a devastating head injury.

Only hours before the South Taranaki collision police had issued Smith with a safety order requiring him to stay away from his ex for 48 hours.

He had become jealous of her seeing other men, New Plymouth District Court was told on Wednesday.

But Smith took little notice of the safety order, as only three hours after it was issued he drove down Ihaia Rd, where the woman lives in Ōpunake.

Also driving along the rural road, though on a quad bike, was the woman and the victim, who was sitting on the rear of the bike.

She was travelling around 40km/h when she heard a car coming up from behind.

Looking over her shoulder, the woman spotted Smith only a few metres behind the bike.

Seconds later, Smith rammed the bike with his car, causing the victim to fall onto the road directly on his head.

The victim ended up in a coma with a skull fracture and a brain bleed.

While the woman did not come off the bike, the crash forced her out of her seat.

The offender's ex lived on Ihaia Rd at the time of the collision. Photo / Google Maps

Smith yelled something at the pair, performed a U-turn and then sped off, leaving behind the seriously injured man.

Following the October 31, 2021 collision, Smith, 28, was arrested and charged with wounding with reckless disregard and failing to stop and ascertain injury.

He told police officers that his ex had been "playing mind games" with him.

Later, he told probation officers he had acted on impulse as he thought he was "losing the girl that he loved".

When he saw the woman had another man on the back of the farm bike, Smith said he felt triggered.

Reports provided to the court described him as having a short fuse, very sensitive, someone who "feels things very deeply", and he tends to react with violence.

In court, lengthy victim impact statements written by the victim and his parents were read aloud by the Crown prosecutor.

In her statement, the mother recounted the phone call that informed them their son would be flown to Wellington Hospital for emergency brain surgery and that his "life was in the balance".

"A parent's worst nightmare. We went into shock."

Patrick Smith appeared for sentence in New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday. Photo / Tara Shaskey

They would later find their 26-year-old lying in the intensive care unit with "part of his skull missing and wearing nappies".

"Have you ever had to sign a form to let someone know what you wanted done with your child's skull in case it was never reattached?

"Have you ever had to wonder every day whether your child is going to live or die?"

The mother struggled to understand how Smith could intentionally harm someone, as he had her son.

Through his written statement, the victim, who the court heard was only the woman's friend, said the collision had left him with a life sentence.

"I spent seven days in a coma and had a large piece of my skull removed to allow for bleeding and swelling," he said.

"This piece of skull has now been replaced with a plate. I am still mentally adjusting to the fact that I have a foreign object in my head and I experience ongoing pain."

He has also suffered memory loss, problems with his vision and balance, and difficulty concentrating and communicating.

The victim, who also shattered his ankle in the incident, receives a range of ongoing therapies to assist in his recovery.

He fears he will never be able to return to his freezing works job where he was headed for a promotion at the time of the collision.

Judge Tony Greig said Smith's actions would affect the victim and his family for the rest of their lives.

"It is a severe, severe head injury."

The judge said the offending was at the highest end of the scale in relation to the charge of wounding with reckless disregard.

"Probably, Mr Smith is lucky with the charge he is facing. It should be grievous bodily harm."

Judge Greig took a start point of five years' jail, higher than what the Crown suggested.

He allowed credit for guilty pleas and other factors, landing on an imprisonment sentence of three years and six months.

When Judge Greig asked Smith if he had anything he would like to say to the victim, he offered an apology.

"I'm deeply sorry for what I have done," he said.

"I just didn't think rationally at the time, at all. I had an emotional and mental breakdown."