Cameron Andrew Welsh, 39, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday and despite his brutality rendering his partner unconscious on several occasions, she attended the hearing to support him.
"I know what I have done. I love her to bits and I have a lot of regret and a lot of remorse towards what’s happened," Welsh told Probation.
The court heard they planned to continue their relationship once he was released from prison.
The violence began in October last year when Welsh became enraged over a relationship issue.
A police summary said he repeatedly punched the victim in the face and stomach "with extreme force", giving her a black eye and causing suspected broken ribs. Later the same day, Welsh tried to initiate intimacy with the woman and when he was rebuffed, he erupted again.
He climbed on top of the victim, and strangled her for up to two minutes, during which she lost consciousness for 10-15 seconds.
The frequency of the cruelty only intensified in December.
The court heard how Welsh, during a discussion about drug use in the kitchen, punched his partner again, slamming her head into a fridge and knocking her out.
Days later, there was an almost identical incident, which left the woman out cold on the floor of the bedroom.
The involvement of police only prompted further rage from Welsh. When he found out the victim had spoken with officers about the earlier incidents, the defendant ran into the hallway and head-butted her.
On December 21, Welsh punched her again and threw a plastic milk bottle at her head, "squashing" her between a door and the wall as he left the house.
The final chapter came on Christmas Eve, when the woman asked him to return her house keys.
"The defendant lunged at the victim while in the lounge and bit her on the left shoulder," a summary said.
As Welsh was being dragged away by others at the address, he managed to inflict one final blow to the victim’s face.
Judge Dominic Flatley highlighted the fact the defendant had more than 100 previous convictions, including more than a dozen for violence.
"It strikes me that the victim, your partner, was drawn into a vortex of control and dependence from which she had an inability to exit," he said.
"She was stuck in an extremely violent situation and your violence towards her cannot be minimised or downplayed."
Welsh put his outbursts down to being off his prescribed medication, as well as financial stress.
Counsel Brian Kilkelly said his client had grown up in care, which had shaped his psyche.
"He tells me he has always struggled with impulsivity, animosity and trust issues around abandonment," he said.
Welsh was convicted of five counts of assault with intent to injure, injuring with intent to injure and strangulation, and was jailed for three years, nine months.
