Warning: this story contains distressing content

A young Hinds livestock farmer faces time in jail after he strangled, kicked and punched his partner in a brutal attack that included beating her head several times against a cupboard door.

Jacob Dean Allan Shefford, 22, appeared before Judge Stephen O'Driscoll in the Ashburton District Court this week on three representative charges of serious family violence - intentional wounding, strangulation, and assault on a person in a family relationship.

The intentional wounding charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

The charges stem from an incident at their Hinds' home when the couple got into an argument about Shefford's drinking on August 15, 2023.

Judge O'Driscoll said the pair had been in a relationship for four years and had a one-year-old daughter.

They got into an argument about Shefford's "drinking and other domestic issues".

Shefford left and went to the river, where he continued drinking and then drove to Ashburton to get more alcohol.

He returned home shortly after 10pm and threw some items around in the main bedroom.

When the victim came to see what was happening, Shefford became angry and chased her to the kitchen, the judge said.

Shefford then punched his partner on her temple, swept items on the kitchen bench to the floor and knocked his partner to the ground. He held her by the hair and punched and kicked her repeatedly before straddling her and squeezing her neck for about five seconds.

She was gasping for breath.

While the victim was recovering against the dishwasher, Shefford grabbed her neck again.

He told police she was going red in the face when he started verbally abusing her, accused her of cheating, smacked her and spat in her face.

When the victim managed to get onto her hands and knees, Shefford squatted down and smashed her head into the cupboard four or five times while holding her hair.

Her head hit the cupboard handle cutting her head and leaving strands of hair on the cupboard handle, the judge said.

When the victim moved to get a towel to stem the bleeding, Shefford asked about a relationship she had six or seven years ago and grabbed her throat again.

At about 10.40pm the victim managed to call family for help. When Shefford's brother arrived, they argued before Shefford left in his brother's car.

He drove into a ditch and a neighbour brought him home. Shefford went to bed and went to work the next day.

The victim was taken to Ashburton Hospital for medical attention, the judge said.

Shefford told police he had assaulted his partner numerous times in 10 minutes – punching her, slamming her head, kicking her, and impeding breathing on three separate occasions.

The court was told that Shefford had a history of family violence with the same victim and was convicted for an assault on his brother, including strangulation, in October 2020.

"I have no doubt that this would have been horrifying and terrifying for the victim," Judge O'Driscoll said.

The judge said the starting point of sentencing was four years in prison, aggravated by earlier convictions and the fact that the offending occurred while on intensive supervision.

However, after applying discounts for an early guilty plea, remorse and restorative justice, the judge arrived at a final sentence of two years and nine months.

"I would urge you, while still in prison, to do any courses to reduce any risk of offending – you need to ensure that nothing similar ever happens to anyone ever again," the judge said.

Shefford was convicted and discharged for breaching an intensive supervision sentence.

By Sharon Davis