In another incident, Young punched her repeatedly in the head while she held the baby.
Weeks later, when police were called, he hit her head twice with a speaker before stomping on her.
Young was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court last week on numerous charges, including assault with a weapon, strangulation, assault with intent to injure, threatening to kill and escaping police custody.
The assaults against the woman happened at the couple’s Pukete home, with the first happening in February while the victim was 27 weeks pregnant.
Young struck her with a dog collar, a soup ladle and other unknown items before choking her and lifting her off the ground.
As he did so, he said: “Why don’t you f***ing listen, c***? Why don’t you just shut your mouth?”
In the first of two assaults in September, Young punched her repeatedly, before grabbing a pair of scissors and holding them with the blades protruding from his knuckles.
He struck her in the leg and back, leaving multiple bruises, before stabbing her in the stomach.
Two weeks later, after being hit with a speaker, the victim tried to flee.
Young caught her, punched and headbutted her, and told her to “clean up” the house and “do as you’re told”.
The victim fled the house and Young followed her in a car.
He forced her to return homewards, before driving at her and a neighbour at speed, stopping just short of them.
The victim ran off again and Young briefly gave chase, before returning to his car.
Police arrived soon afterwards but Young refused to engage, telling officers to “get f***ed”.
He later admitted to punching the victim and said he believed he may have broken her nose.
‘Someone you profess to love’
In court, Crown prosecutor James Bridgman said the offending was premeditated and involved an element of home invasion, as it occurred in the victim’s home, “in what should have been her sanctuary”.
He sought a protection order for the woman and a firearms prohibition order for Young.
Defence counsel Abby Brownlie accepted the victim was vulnerable and said the violence arose “out of an escalating domestic argument”.
She said Young had not previously been charged with strangulation or assaulting the victim, though he had prior convictions and was serving a sentence at the time.
Judge Kim Saunders noted a pre-sentence report showed Young had not accepted responsibility and continued to blame the victim.
Reading from the victim impact statement, he said the victim described the physical and emotional harm caused.
“Someone you profess to love and showed your love by beating her as you did,” the judge said.
“She had to go to hospital as a result of the injuries she received.
“She’s terrified that you will come back and make good on the threats to hurt her.
“She fears for her safety, and when she says terrified of you, that I suspect is a mere understatement given what you put her through.”
Judge Saunders said Young had sought to control his partner.
“She was absolutely powerless to your violence and was extremely vulnerable.
“The Crown has characterised you as callous, cruel and malicious, and I agree with that. It is hard to escape the conclusion that you enjoyed the power it gave you, in blaming her for your violence towards her.”
After adopting an overall starting point of five years’ imprisonment, the judge sentenced Young to three years and 10 months in prison.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.