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A man was so upset by the end of his long-term relationship that he tried to strangle his former girlfriend before dumping her clothes into the backyard and setting fire to them.

Esmond Jellyman wrapped his hands around his victim’s neck so tightly she thought she was going to die.

“Your hands overlapped on her throat and she feared for her life,“ Judge Jan Kelly told Jellyman during his sentencing in the Wellington District Court today.

According to the judge, the incident happened shortly after the couple’s seven-year relationship ended.

The woman had ordered him out of the Raumati house they’d shared in February 2023, only to wake the next morning to find Jellyman asleep on the bed beside her.

An argument ensued, and Jellyman struck the woman on the back of the head as she sat at the end of the bed. She fell to the floor, and the court heard Jellyman climbed on the woman and placed his hands on her throat.

She escaped upstairs, while Jellyman scooped up the woman’s clothes and took them to the backyard, placing them in a pile on the grass, before pouring kerosene over them and setting them alight.

The woman didn’t provide a victim impact statement, but Judge Kelly said it was clear from her evidence at Jellyman’s jury trial in March this year that she’d suffered as a result of the incident.

Today, Jellyman was sentenced on charges of strangulation, assault on a person in a family relationship, and arson, which the jury found him guilty of.

Jellyman’s lawyer Peter Ross submitted that the strangling incident had lasted about 30 seconds, and there was no suggestion the victim had lost consciousness or that it had impacted her voice.

He submitted a starting point of 25 months’ jail, but suggested home detention was appropriate.

Meanwhile, Crown prosecutor Claire Hislop sought a starting point of 32 months’ jail and suggested the victim receive a $500 emotional harm payment.

Judge Kelly noted the 54-year-old had a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1987. He’d amassed 48 convictions since then, mostly for money laundering and drug-related offences.

She noted he had three convictions for violence, the most recent in 2007.

The court heard Jellyman accepted the Crown’s summary of facts and took responsibility for his offending.

Judge Kelly adopted a starting point of 28 months’ jail to reflect the totality of the offending.

But after taking into account the time Jellyman had spent in custody and on electronically monitored bail, as well as character references, she reduced that to a final sentence of nine months’ home detention.

Jellyman was convicted of the three charges and ordered to serve his home detention at an address outside of Wellington.

She also ordered Jellyman to pay his victim $250 in emotional harm at a rate of $10 a week, noting that was all he said he could afford on his benefit.

He was also ordered to complete a non-violence programme and to undertake any counselling or treatment, as directed by his probation officer.

FAMILY VIOLENCE

How to get help:
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information:
• : Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• : Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• : Family violence information line - 0800 456 450
• : Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.
• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• : For information on family violence
• : National Network of Family Violence Services
• : Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.
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Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media adviser at the Ministry of Justice.