The accused soldier denies strangling his former partner who was also in the Defense Force at the time. Photo: RNZ / Jonathan Mitchell
A soldier is accused of strangling another soldier on two occasions in 2019.
The Army corporal is facing court martial after pleading not guilty to two charges of assaulting his former partner, who was also in the Defence Force at the time.
Both have name suppression.
In his opening address prosecutor Lieutenant Ben Ruback told the court martial that on two occasions the man became angry at the woman while he was drunk and strangled her.
On the first occasion the pair had been at a party outside of Burnham Military Camp and the woman was the sober driver, Ruback said.
In her evidence, the woman said she helped the man to his barracks because he was so intoxicated.
Once back in the barracks, he wanted to leave and continue partying but she wanted him to stay because she thought he was too drunk, the woman told the court.
"I was blocking the door and he got even more angry and he started strangling me towards the door," she said.
The following morning there were marks on her neck and the accused asked her about them.
She told him he had strangled her and he said he did not remember but apologised, she said.
She did not tell anyone about being strangled because she wanted to protect her partner's reputation and did not want people to know they were having problems.
Defence lawyer Andrew McCormick said the soldier admitted there were two incidents when he behaved badly but claimed he never strangled the woman.
On the first occasion his client says the woman was the aggressor, McCormick told the court.
On the second occasion the soldier accepted he pushed her against a post, but he claimed he did not put his hands around her throat, McCormick said.
"This isn't the case of him saying - I didn't do anything, she is completely lying. This is a case of him saying - yes, there were two flash point confrontations. Yes, I had been drinking. Yes, I have behaved badly. Yes, I have let myself down. Yes, I have treated her badly," McCormick said.
"But he says I did not put my hands around her throat. I did not try to strangle her. I was not reckless about that either."
During cross-examination, McCormick put to the woman she had only made the complaints in 2024 because the Defence Force was reviewing her retention in the army.
"You made these complaints because you were upset you were discharged from the Defence Force and he was still there," McCormick said.
The woman said that was not true.
The court martial at Burnham Military Camp is set down for three days.
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