{"id":273683,"date":"2026-02-08T11:12:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T11:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/273683\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T11:12:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T11:12:10","slug":"benjamin-cudby-sent-to-prison-for-repeated-violent-attacks-strangulations-of-his-partner-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/273683\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Cudby sent to prison for repeated violent attacks, strangulations of his partner"},"content":{"rendered":"

First published on \"NZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\"No<\/p>\n

\nBenjamin Cudby strangled his partner more than 40 times over the course of their relationship, the court heard.
\nPhoto: 123rf.com\n<\/p>\n

Warning: This story discusses graphic details of domestic violence.<\/p>\n

A man subjected his partner to almost two years of violence, strangling her on more than 40 occasions and chasing her with a spade after she stabbed him following a violent episode.<\/p>\n

At Benjamin Cudby’s sentencing in the Christchurch District Court this week, Judge Katie Elkin said the victim was vulnerable, as she already had a brain injury, and Cudby had easily overpowered her during a “long history” of family harm incidents.<\/p>\n

The judge said his offending was entrenched and had caused the victim enduring harm. She now struggles with trust and fears what others might do to her.<\/p>\n

Cudby had strangled the woman more than 40 times over the course of their relationship, the court heard.<\/p>\n

She lost consciousness during one incident in June last year when Cudby wrapped his hands around her throat, then put her in a headlock and applied pressure for more than 10 seconds.<\/p>\n

When she regained consciousness, she grabbed a knife and stabbed him.<\/p>\n

Cudby then chased her with a spade, smashing a door in their Alexandra home, overpowering her before police arrived.<\/p>\n

During another incident at their home, a friend heard a commotion and saw Cudby in a bedroom with his hands around the woman’s throat.<\/p>\n

It took two people to pull him off her.<\/p>\n

\"Christchurch<\/p>\n

\nBenjamin Cudby was sentenced at the Christchurch District Court this week.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Nate McKinnon\n<\/p>\n

The assaults continued in Christchurch when Cudby threw her to the ground, spat in her face and picked up a nearby hammer.<\/p>\n

When his father tried to intervene, Cudby grabbed a baseball bat and hit her in the ribs and legs.<\/p>\n

Judge Elkin outlined how the abuse had started three months into the pair’s relationship and spanned 20 months. Cudby was in his early 20s at the time.<\/p>\n

“It has had a very big impact on her; she is only 19, and, like you, very young. She is learning to rebuild her life,” the judge said.<\/p>\n

The court heard Cudby had a drug habit which cost him around $200 a day and had also been found in possession of LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.<\/p>\n

On charges of impeding breathing, assault with intent to injure, possessing LSD, ecstasy and cannabis for supply, possessing methamphetamine and unlawfully possessing ammunition, the judge took a starting point of six years and two months’ imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Following credit for guilty pleas, lack of criminal history, his youth and rehabilitation efforts, he was sent to prison for three years and seven months.<\/p>\n

Judge Elkin said Cudby would be subject to a first strike under the new Three Strikes law.<\/p>\n

“If you commit a further serious offence, the consequences will be serious,” Judge Elkin told him.<\/p>\n

She imposed a protection order in favour of the victim.<\/p>\n

Where to get help:<\/p>\n

Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason<\/p>\n

Lifeline<\/a>: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357<\/p>\n

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.<\/p>\n

Family Violence<\/p>\n

– This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First published on Benjamin Cudby strangled his partner more than 40 times over the course of their relationship,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,47,111,43,139,69,49,46,44,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-273683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-audio","9":"tag-current-affairs","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-podcasts","15":"tag-public-radio","16":"tag-radio-new-zealand","17":"tag-rnz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}