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Hamilton man Joseph Te Huia was acting in a 'delusional' manner after breaking into a woman's home and brutally attacking her. Photo: 123rf.com
A woman subjected to a horrific attack after a man broke into her home says she fears what would have happened if police had not smashed a glass door to get in and save her.
The victim was at her Waikato home gaming with her headphones on when Joseph Hohepa Te Huia smashed a fly screen on a bathroom window and climbed inside.
The 33-year-old, who had ingested half a gram of meth the night before, didn't know the victim was home. When he realised, his drug-fuelled paranoia and delusions escalated.
The woman was dragged across the kitchen floor by her hair before Te Huia punched, kneed and threatened to kill her.
The attack was only stopped by police, who smashed their way through her glass lounge door to save her.
The victim, unsurprisingly, remains traumatised from the incident and continues to replay the events and what would have happened if officers hadn't arrived at her house that night on 22 December last year.
Te Huia appeared for sentencing in the Hamilton District Court recently on multiple charges, including aggravated burglary, injuring with intent to injure, assault with a weapon, and threatening to kill.
'I've lost trust in humanity'
In her victim impact statement, read by the judge, the woman explained how she now found it difficult to go out in public, even for simple tasks like going for a walk or getting the groceries.
She was suffering mental health issues at the time, and the attack had worsened them.
"She said at the time she wrote this, that she had lost trust in humanity and played over many times in her head what could have happened if police hadn't found her in time.
"Her concerns are, of course, entirely understandable and justified," Judge Stephen Clark said.
'People are after me'
Te Huia broke into her house via a rear bathroom window, by breaking the fly screen covering the window frame.
As the victim sat at her computer, Te Huia, who was sweating and out of breath, walked into the room.
Spotting her, he panicked and walked out again without saying anything.
The victim followed him and found him crouching down low, looking out the lounge curtains, stating that people were after him and acting delusional.
She asked him several times to get out of the house, but he refused.
He then asked for a glass of water.
Thinking it might get him out, she got him one, and he drank it.
He then started moving toward the rear door of the house, but suddenly became aggressive and punched her multiple times to the head and face.
The court heard she tried, unsuccessfully, to defend herself, as Te Huia grabbed her head and slammed his knee into her head and face.
He grabbed the woman by her long hair and dragged her across the floor back to the kitchen, ripping hair from her scalp.
He then picked up a pair of scissors and placed the tip at the back of her head, as she struggled to defend herself.
As he continued assaulting her, he told her he was going to kill her, and muttered sentences to himself.
Police arrived and could hear someone screaming for help. They smashed their way in through the lounge glass door.
The victim suffered multiple bruising, swelling, and cuts to her face and head, neck, forearm, and a concussion.
'He's not taken up his opportunities'
Crown prosecutor Leo Lai said although it was obvious Te Huia had a drug addiction for quite some time, it didn't appear he was doing anything about it.
He urged the judge to restrict any discount for addiction and rehabilitative prospects.
"He has been given opportunities to address his issues throughout many, many years and he has simply not done so.
"In terms of any prospect of rehabilitation, this is someone who has demonstrated he is not willing to take the steps required to do so."
'He's ashamed of the harm he's caused'
Te Huia's counsel Gerard Walsh took issue with Lai's comments that his client was "beyond the pale of redemption".
"Obviously, the contention for him is very much 'no'."
He said it was difficult for his client to get onto any decent courses in prison while on remand, but he had started down that path.
"It seems that for this man, there's an appreciation that what saw him offend in what is obviously a horrible fashion was fuelled by addiction and that's something he's prepared to jump on top of."
Te Huia was also remorseful.
"There is a great sense of shame for the harm he has caused this person and, in turn for him, for the harm that he causes the people around him."
Judge Clark noted Te Huia had ingested half a gram of meth the night before the attack.
While it wasn't a mitigating factor, it did help explain Te Huia's actions, he said.
Te Huia also had 68 previous convictions, including 13 for burglary.
He'd experienced violence and drugs as a youngster, while his father was a gang member, and he got involved in the Mongrel Mob at a young age.
From a six-year starting point, Judge Clark jailed Te Huia for three years, seven months, and two weeks. He also ordered a firearms protection order.
* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.
