A 27-year-old man deliberately rammed a car off Hoon Hay Road but missed injuring the target of his attack.
The passenger emerged unscathed but the driver was badly injured with broken ribs, collarbone and ankle, and a contusion to his aortic wall.
Christchurch District Court Judge Gary MacAskill told Curtis Peter McNally: “Your actions had the potential to place other members of the public at considerable risk of injury or death. You deliberately rammed the vehicle with the intention of causing injury.”
He jailed McNally for five years eight months with a series of prison terms on four charges, and including two months added for unpaid fines totalling $14,000.
McNally will also have to pay $21,869 reparations for the damage he did, after he is released from prison. The payment includes $2500 to the driver as emotional harm reparations, because of lost income and the fact that he has had to give up a more physical job he enjoyed, because of his injuries.
McNally had admitted charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm, two breaches of a protection order, and breaching a 60-hour community work sentence – he had done none of the hours.
Defence counsel Ruth Harcourt said some of the offending arose from McNally’s wish to see his five-year-old daughter, after his relationship had ended and a protection order had been taken out against him.
The court was told that his ex-partner wanted him to undergo anger management and parenting courses before he could see the girl.
McNally drove onto a service station forecourt on Hoon Hay Road at 8.40pm on December 17. He had animosity towards a man who was inside buying items. McNally reversed his car, narrowly missing the man, when he came out.
McNally followed as the other car left the forecourt, with his target in the passenger seat.
About 350m along Hoon Hay Road, McNally rammed the front right of his car in the rear left of the other car, causing it to go out of control into a power pole and through a fence into a front yard.
The target extracted himself from the wreck relatively unscathed, but the driver remained trapped until he was got out by emergency services. He was badly injured and in a serious condition.
Judge MacAskill described McNally’s ex-partner receiving threatening messages from him by Facebook Messenger, concerning access to his daughter. He told the woman: “I’ll make your life hell,” “You will be put in your place,” and “If I’m not allowed her, I’ll take her from you.”
The messages caused her to fear for her safety, the judge said.
He noted McNally’s previous convictions for assault, breaching prison release conditions, dangerous driving, and breach of a protection order.
The pre-sentence report described him as a recidivist whose offending had not abated in spite of prison sentences. It said: “It is clear this habitual behaviour will require intensive intervention. Past rehabilitative programmes have met with little success.”
The judge made the reparation order after hearing that McNally was regarded as a “loyal and dedicated worker” and a skilful employee. He ordered McNally to begin payments three months after his release.
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