Whanganui man who messaged his partner saying he would slam his car into hers and kill her gets sentenced

Hohepa Karipa Matiu was sentenced to supervision and community work by Judge Garry Barkle for threatening to kill his partner. Photo / Bevan Conley

"I'm going to slam my car into yours. I'm going to ****ing kill you. I'll come to work and kill you. I'll kill both of you."

Those were the messages Hohepa Karipa Matiu sent to his partner on Facebook, believing she had broken into his house.

She was at her workplace in Whanganui when she received the messages from Matiu, her partner of approximately four years.

Lawyer Stephanie Burlace said that Matiu himself had been the victim on a number of issues between him and his partner which had been reported to police.

"Those issues have included himself being assaulted, his house broken into, her being trespassed from his property and coming back and him calling the police," Burlace said.

"This action has been as a result of, I think it was when his house was broken into, it was the response to that. He's just lost his cool and has responded in a very poor manner."

Matiu and his partner have been involved in three previous family harm incidents. They have a child together who was not present at the time of offending.

Police prosecutor Graham Hoskin said the offending occurred at about 10.30am on September 6.

"During the day the defendant sent a number of Facebook messages to the victim," Hoskin said.

"They included calling the victim a ****ing bitch and a dirty whore."

Matiu pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm in Whanganui District Court.

Judge Garry Barkle noted in sentencing Matiu, a self-employed mechanical engineer, that he had not offended for two years.

"I have your previous history and as the sergeant has drawn to my attention, and it is a concern to myself, you've got the four previous protection order breaches in your past," Barkle said.

"I assume that your relationship has broken down and it has ended, but if not then that presents a level of concern and volatility around your whole situation."

Judge Barkle sentenced Matiu to nine months' supervision and 100 hours' community work.