Woman assaulted by former lover after calling off affair

The case was heard at Invercargill District Court.

A man followed his former lover and assaulted her because she no longer wanted to continue their affair, a court has heard.

On September 1 at the Invercargill District Court, a jury found Glen Nathan Chapman, 47, guilty of assault and assault with intent to injure. The offending occurred on February 1 while the victim was driving in Gore.

She had messaged the defendant and said she did not want their relationship to continue. Chapman replied, “pull over”.

The woman noticed the defendant following in his car and pulled into a driveway. Chapman parked and got out of his vehicle.

He reached through the victim’s open window and forcefully removed a necklace she was wearing. The jury was satisfied that soon after, Chapman punched the woman in the back of the head twice.

He was assessed at a low likelihood of reoffending, a probation report said, but he continued to claim his innocence.

Judge Duncan Harvey said the situation was aggravated by the injuries the woman suffered and the offending occurring in a loosely domestic relationship.

The judge initially considered a combination of sentences including supervision, community work and community detention.

But he said a Stopping Violence programme would be compulsory if he made a protection order, thus making supervision unnecessary.

“I do not consider … that a sentence of community detention would be of any particular value here,” Judge Harvey said.

He sentenced Chapman to 140 hours’ community work and made a protection order in favour of the victim.

Felicity Dear is a PIJF court reporter