Blenheim restaurateur Ross Paul Heywood has been warned that he will go to jail if he breaches his wife's protection order or assaults her again.
Heywood, 49, admitted charges of breaching a protection order and assault with intent when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court this month. The charges were laid after two separate incidents.
He was sentenced to 100 hours' community work and 12 months' supervision and given a 12-month suspended sentence for breaching the protection order. He was ordered to complete anger management counselling as part of the supervision sentence.
Judge Tony Zohrab also warned Heywood that "a prison sentence would follow for any further offences of violence".
The police summary of facts said complainant Penny Heywood went to a bar with a friend after finishing work at the couple's restaurant Bacchus on December 9 last year.
Heywood found the pair at the bar about 2am and told Mrs Heywood to go home. When they arrived home, Heywood was still agitated and told his wife he did not like her going out after work.
Heywood headbutted his wife on the nose without warning, causing her to stumble towards the kitchen. He then pushed her, causing her to fall and hit her head on the dishwasher. He then kneed her in the ribs and punched her in the head several times.
Mrs Heywood drove to Wairau Hospital and told a doctor she had been assaulted, but would not say who had attacked her and later discharged herself, against the doctor's recommendation.
Her injuries included ruptured blood vessels in her head, sore ribs, blurred vision and vomiting.
Police alleged that Heywood breached the protection order on January 31 by sending Mrs Heywood a series of text messages, saying he wanted to get back together and asking her to withdraw the charges. When this did not work, he sent another message saying he could not live without her and implying that he would take his own life. Mrs Heywood believed the message was an attempt at emotional blackmail.
Heywood told police that Mrs Heywood started sending messages first, and he had confirmed with her that it was OK to contact her.
Judge Zohrab said at the hearing on March 2 that Heywood was sentenced as a first offender although he had a historic conviction for violence.
"I appreciate that this was a difficult time for you but, whatever was done and said by your partner, your behaviour was inexcusable," he said.
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