Middlemarch man jailed for four years after choking his partner to unconsciousness

The Dunedin courthouse. Photo / File

A Middlemarch man who choked his partner to unconsciousness because he was dissatisfied with the meal she made has been jailed for nearly four years.

Simon Troupe Armishaw, 46, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday on seven domestic violence charges, having been found guilty at a judge-alone trial.

The victim, in a statement, told the court of the pain of having to relive the violence her ex-partner had inflicted, and said alcohol was at the heart of all his problems.

He used it to mask his underlying problems, she said — a view endorsed by Armishaw's counsel Anne Stevens QC.

She told the court her client had been involved in a car crash at the age of 16 in which three people died, including a close friend.

"He has never come to terms with it," she said.

"It's quite clear he developed very disturbing drinking habits following that and has maintained those."

Armishaw came before the court at the start of 2018 on domestic violence charges against the same woman.

A protection order was issued in her favour, but it was only months before he contravened that.

By February 2019, his volatile behaviour reached new lows.

Armishaw, a shearer, came home from work after drinking and continued the binge at home, downing eight large bottles of beer.

When the victim gave him his dinner, he complained about the standard of her cooking.

She left the dining room for the lounge where Armishaw dumped his plate on the floor, the court heard.

When the woman offered to clean up the mess, the defendant slapped her then grabbed her throat with both hands.

Armishaw squeezed with such force that the victim fell unconscious.

She later sought medical assistance after bouts of vomiting and dizziness.

Months later, there was another spat in which Armishaw slapped and punched her. The violence continued while he was on bail.

In April, he turned up at the victim's house, despite being barred from contact with her.

He repeatedly refused to leave and the woman went to bed, only to be roused by Armishaw who repeatedly assaulted her until she left her home and called police.

Stevens urged Judge Turner to impose home detention.

Her client, she said, had strong family support and was willing to repeat violence and alcohol counselling.

Judge Turner was not persuaded and sentenced Armishaw to three years and 10 months' imprisonment, also ordering he pay the victim $1000 for the emotional harm.