Long ‘stretch’ ahead for second strike offender
A Christchurch man faces nearly four years in jail – with no chance of early release – after committing his second strike offence in which he ran over a woman he knew in an incident of jealous rage.
It was Nathan Kenneth Bonniface’s second conviction this year for wounding someone with reckless disregard for their safety.
The incident happened while he was out at night in breach of a community detention sentence he was given for the first assault, and that meant resentencing by Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish.
She piled up prison terms totalling 46 months and 2 weeks for all the offending – the original offence, the new offence, and the breach of community detention.
She also expressed concern about what will happen to 43-year-old Bonniface under the tough three-strikes sentencing regime which imposes heavier penalties on repeat violent offenders.
She said that as a second-strike offender, Bonniface would serve all of his sentence and then be released with no support for his reintegration. He could do rehabilitation courses while in prison but there would be no post-release period when he would be supervised or treated.
He got the original sentence for an incident where two men came into his house at night to serve a trespass notice. There was a fracas in which the men were attacked by his dog and he went to the dog’s assistance. He stabbed one of the men.
The second incident happened only about two weeks after his sentencing. He had known a woman for seven years but in August she broke off their relationship.
Bonniface stalked her, sending texts and driving past her home.
On September 6, at 12.30am, he went to her home and stopped outside. The woman and her new partner went outside where there was yelling and she told Bonniface to leave.
He got into his car but accelerated up the driveway, striking the woman who was standing behind one gate which was closed. She was tossed onto the bonnet of his car and then rolled off to the side.
Bonniface crashed into the woman’s partner’s vehicle in the driveway, pushing it into the garage door and Bonniface quickly reversed, running right over the woman’s legs as she lay in the driveway.
She was taken to hospital with a broken nose, two broken ribs, cuts to her legs and arms, and bruising and swelling to her face. Judge Farish said it was a miracle she did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
The judge said that although Bonniface had admitted a charge of wounding “with reckless disregard for safety” rather than intentionally, his culpability was high. He had reversed without stopping to find out if the woman had been injured, and he had then driven off without stopping after running over her.
She said the woman’s young children were now frightened that he would return to their home and hurt them or their mother. Bonniface had written a letter saying he would not do that, but they were real concerns for small children.
Defence counsel Kirsten Gray said Bonniface was remorseful, and said he had not driven over the woman intentionally. He had had a friendship with her, and had been “incredibly jealous” on the day.
Jailing Bonniface, Judge Farish warned him that if he committed this offence again, a third strike would mean he would face the maximum term without parole – seven years’ imprisonment.
Category: News
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