Worst attack in 25 years on the job: Detective held against a wall, strangled, punched in the head

A constable used a Taser to subdue a man strangling his colleague during a family violence callout in Motueka earlier this year. Photo / File

A detective who was strangled in a violent scuffle was saved by a colleague who tasered the man high on methamphetamine at the time.

The attack, which happened during a family harm callout, left the experienced officer with physical injuries and suffering emotionally after being pushed against the wall, strangled and punched in the head.

“This was a sworn police officer trained in dealing with this sort of offending. The attack was unexpected and committed with ferocity,” Judge Garry Barkle said as the man responsible for the violent attack was sentenced in court this week.

Dalton Michael Hutton was sent to prison for two years on a lead charge of strangulation after police were called to a Motueka address on January 23. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge, plus other charges of assaulting a police officer and breaching a protection order.

Hutton, who lived with his brother in Nelson, had gone to visit his mother in Motueka, for whom a final protection order was issued in November 2016.

While he was there he became agitated and started smashing items in the house and throwing them around. Hutton’s mother became afraid so left the house and called the police, who arrived to find him lying on a bed in one of the bedrooms.

When the police tried to talk to him he suddenly jumped up and lunged at the detective, who he then grabbed by the throat with both hands. Hutton then pushed her back against a wall, leaving her unable to escape, and then began punching her in the head.

A constable who had also gone to the address managed to push Hutton away and then tasered him to try and subdue him, the police summary of facts said.

Hutton was then arrested and told police he’d used methamphetamine two days earlier and was coming down from a high, but didn’t know why he’d acted violently.

The 31-year-old listened impassively and appeared in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday via video link from a custody suite.

Judge Barkle noted the detective’s description in her victim impact statement of the trauma she had suffered in the attack, and that in her 25 years in the police, she had never been assaulted like that.

“It came as a big shock when he charged at her and believed if the strangulation continued it would have left her unconscious, or worse,” Judge Barkle said.

He noted she still suffered emotionally and continued to have memories of what was a violent attack.

The detective was also left with physical injuries, including soreness in her throat and neck, and damage to her front teeth which required dental repairs.

Judge Barkle said a pre-sentence report noted Hutton’s six previous convictions for contravening a protection order and other convictions for violence-related offending.

An alcohol and drug report set out Hutton’s substance use from a young age, which began with alcohol then moved to cannabis, opioids and then methamphetamine.

Hutton’s “very difficult upbringing” was also raised, including that he’d been in state care from the age of five to 16, had been moved around a lot, and had developed behavioural problems leading to a history of aggressive behaviour.

Judge Barkle said Hutton had “significant vulnerabilities” and limited coping skills. A mental health assessment highlighted that despite what he’d suffered as a child, he did not have the defence of insanity available to him, and was, therefore, fit to plea.

Aggravating features included that the assault was on a police officer, Hutton’s six prior breaches of a protection order, and a string of family violence callouts.

From a starting point of 41 months in prison, Hutton was given credit for his early guilty pleas to arrive at a sentence of two years in prison.

He was also sentenced to eight months in prison on each of the other two charges, to be served concurrently.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.