A father of nine who repeatedly assaulted his partner was seriously assaulted by members of the Mongrel Mob in prison and authorities have had to put him in a unit on his own, the High Court at Rotorua has been told.
Robert Haami Boynton, 39, of Matahi Valley, appeared inthe High Court at Rotorua for sentencing yesterday after pleading guilty to four charges of assaulting his partner at the time and mother of two of his children. He was also found guilty of a charge of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Justice Ailsa Duffy sentenced Boynton to nine months' jail on the charges of assaulting his former partner and six months' jail for attempting to pervert the course of justice. The sentences are to be served cumulatively.
Justice Duffy said the assaults on Boynton's ex-partner occurred in Matahi Valley, Whakatane and at a motel in Auckland while one of their children was at Starship Hospital. Boynton slapped her in the face, dragged her by the hair and threw her on the floor and on a bed. During one or two of the assaults the woman was pregnant.
After he was arrested Boynton attempted to pervert the course of justice by telling a family member to give the woman "the bash" and use the words "sieg f****** heil".
"It's fortunate that there was not more serious injuries. You simply cannot go and fly off the handle," Justice Duffy said.
Justice Duffy said on June 13 last year Boynton was assaulted by members of the Mongrel Mob in jail and suffered serious head and facial injuries which required surgery. The physiological impacts were ongoing and Boynton had to be segregated.
Justice Duffy said the starting point was 21 months' jail but reduced the term to 15 months to give him credit for his guilty plea and for the assault in prison.
Boynton was previously sentenced to two years and three months' jail on charges of possession of cannabis for supply, and the latest jail term would start once the other had expired.
Boynton's lawyer, Tony Rickard-Simms, said the violence was at the lower end of the scale and Boynton had attended 22 sessions of an anger management course. He said Boynton's children looked up to him.
