Man sentenced for threatening partner and neighbour

Lance Tawhitapou was sentenced for behaving threateningly stemming from an incident in which he shoved his 59-year-old neighbour. Photo / Bevan Conley

A man shoved his 59-year-old neighbour after she attempted to remove his children from a vehicle he had been speeding up and down the street in.

Lance Tawhitapou and his partner were having a heated argument before he left with some of his children in the vehicle, driving aggressively.

When he arrived back at the address, his partner tried to take a child out of the car while Tawhitapou was yelling obscenities and threatening her.

In Whanganui District Court where Tawhitapou was appearing for sentence, police prosecutor Drew Morrison said that things escalated from there.

"A 59-year-old female victim began to help the partner move another child, but was quickly approached and pushed away by the defendant," Morrison said.

"He then turned on the victim, again threatening her for getting involved. The victim returned to her home nearby."

Tawhitapou pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving threateningly.

Duty solicitor Ollie Crosse said that Tawhitapou has seven children and he is still in a relationship with his partner.

"He's taken exception to his neighbour pulling his child out of his car and accepts that what he said was wrong," Crosse said.

"He acknowledges that he uses very blue language."

It was also noted that Tawhitapou has no convictions for family violence.

There was a brief back-and-forth between Judge Philip Crayton and the defendant in the court room.

"Mr Tawhitapou, you are going to find yourself getting locked up if you can't control your temper," the Judge said.

"I appreciate what Mr Crosse has said on your behalf about you using blue language, but this goes beyond cussing somebody out."

"It's the fact that she was trying to grab my kids out of the car," Tawhitapou said.

"And she wouldn't have intervened unless she felt that there was a safety issue," Judge Crayton said.

"Mr Tawhitapou do you really want to argue with me? I don't think it's going to be to your advantage. The bottom line is, your neighbour wouldn't have felt the need to become protective unless there was a need to become protective. You lost control."

Judge Crayton sentenced Tawhitapou to nine months' supervision.