Taranaki dad angered over kitchen chores chased twins with axe

Anthony Dwayne Perrett appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday. Photo / Tara Shaskey

A father incensed at the kitchen chores not being done grabbed an axe and threatened to chop up one of his twin sons, before assaulting them both and chasing them with the tool.

Anthony Dwayne Perrett kicked off his violent tirade by punching holes in a wall at their Norfolk, Taranaki, home after a verbal dispute broke out between the trio.

He then grabbed the axe and began to swing it at the wall, Judge Gregory Hikaka told New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday.

Perrett, 41, was angered over "who didn't do the dishes or who didn't empty the sink," the judge said of the October 31, 2021, incident.

"Pretty petty stuff but it got out of hand, obviously."

The axe-wielding Perrett threatened to cut up one of the twins, who are 19, before the boys attempted to leg it from the address," Judge Hikaka said.

But Perrett got in the way and grabbed one of them by their shirt and began shoving him.

The other twin stepped in and pushed their father in an effort to break his grip.

Perrett then took off his shirt and wrapped it around his knuckles. He took a swing at the twin who had intervened, but missed.

The boys jumped on their father to restrain him from attacking them any further.

But Perrett managed to throw one more punch, connecting with the head of one of the twins, and elbowed the other to the side of the face.

He told the boys they had 10 minutes to leave or he would kill them, and then chased them down the driveway while wielding the axe.

Later that night, Perrett followed up his abuse with texts to the twins, threatening to kill them if they were to return.

One of the boys sustained swelling and bruising to the side of his face during the tussle.

In court, Judge Hikaka said the twins had been staying with Perrett for a few months at the time of the incident.

Prior to that, he hadn't spent a lot of time with them.

The judge said any questions that the boys may have had about why their parents were no longer together would now surely be answered.

"I think you've shown them why you and their mother are not together by these actions. But they are older now and able to make their own assessments."

Perrett had accumulated 57 convictions between 1998 and 2019, 12 of which were for violence.

It was time for him to deal with the triggers which saw him turn physical when in a heated situation, Judge Hikaka advised.

"Perhaps some of the things that you put into your body trigger some of what comes out with your actions," he said, adding that Perrett needed to address his alcohol consumption.

A pre-sentence report recommended a sentence of home detention, but Judge Hikaka took a step back, noting Perrett's remorse, work prospects, and a successful restorative justice meeting between the three.

On two charges of assault on a person in a family relationship and two of threatening to kill, Perrett was sentenced to 12 months' intensive supervision and three months' community detention.

Perrett asked the judge if he was now able to speak to his sons after a non-contact order was in place while he was on bail.

Judge Hikaka said he could contact them only with the prior approval of his probation officer.