Justice finally served as woman's attacker jailed

A man who brutally attacked and tried to strangle a Tauranga woman more than six years ago has finally been jailed for the crime.

In February, Neihana Rangitonga pleaded guilty to a charge of injuring with intent to injure. Today, in the District Court of Tauranga Judge David Wilson QC sentenced Rangitonga to 28 months' prison.

Rangitonga's victim, Tamsin Trainor, initiated a private prosecution against him.

On the day of the attack in July 2010, the pair struck up a conversation on a bus. After getting off the bus the pair walked a short distance before going their separate ways.

However, they bumped into each other twice over the course of the evening and later agreed to walk to Wharepai Domain to share cigarettes, wine and drugs.

Rangitonga punched the victim several times in the head and put his other hand around her throat. Ms Trainor tried to fight back but eventually blacked out. By the time she came around he had left.

She sustained multiple abrasions and bruises to her face and head, severe bruising to her neck and throat area, and had burst blood vessels in both eyes and ears.

After the attack, the Crown charged Rangitonga with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of rape but dropped the wounding charge to enable the jury "to focus" on the rape allegation.

Rangitonga was acquitted and the Crown refused to relitigate the wounding charge after seeking legal advice from the Crown Law office.

In 2014 Rangitonga went on to abduct an intoxicated woman from the Mount Maunganui Burger King drive-through, tried to force her to have sex and threatened to kill her.

This victim managed to escape by jumping from his car. Rangitonga pleaded guilty to the attack and was jailed for four years in June 2014.

Soon after the initial court case Ms Trainor began her fight for justice and wrote to the Solicitor General asking for a new wounding charge to be laid but this was declined.

In 2014, the Tauranga mother finally won the right to take a private prosecution against Rangitonga.

Rangitonga's latest prison sentence starts from today.