Actual property agent sentenced for violence towards ex associate, bar patron and police

An actual property agent tried to wrench his fiance’s engagement ring off her finger moments earlier than he pushed her after which hit her within the face with a cellphone.

Ben Loris Blair informed his now-former associate he now not needed to marry her within the midst of an argument that shortly became a bodily assault in July 2020.

Immediately Blair was sentenced within the Nelson District Courtroom to 9 months’ supervision and 150 hours of neighborhood work on a number of costs, together with the assault of his ex, assaulting a member of the general public exterior a Nelson metropolis bar, assaulting and resisting police, and breaching a safety order.

The court docket heard the couple and their 1-year-old youngster had been at Blair’s grandfather’s dwelling in Westport after they started arguing.

At about 9.30pm Blair walked into the toilet the place his associate was brushing her enamel and pushed her head into the wall by the sink with sufficient drive it left a bump on her brow. He then grabbed her arm and pulled her again in order that she fell to the bottom.

The girl then went into the lounge the place their youngster was asleep on a sofa and sat down.

Blair walked over to her, grabbed the engagement ring on her left hand and tried to yank the ring off her finger, telling her he didn’t wish to marry her and needed the ring again.

He then pushed her, inflicting her to fall again on the sofa subsequent to their youngster.

In accordance with the abstract of info Blair, who was holding his cellphone, then hit her within the face with it – as soon as on the cheek after which once more on the lip, inflicting accidents.

In court docket, defence lawyer Yvanca Clarisse mentioned there have been “variations in opinion” as to what had occurred, and that the abstract of info was “not utterly correct” when it comes to the way in which Blair seen occasions, however that he had pleaded responsible to the costs.

She added that Blair had been subjected to assaults on social media by mates of his former associate.

The well-dressed 29-year-old fumbled within the dock as his former associate described in a sufferer impression assertion how he “all the time went for her face” to make her “look ugly” so she could be compelled to cover herself away.

She informed the court docket that his “excellent public picture made her sick” when she had been left to cowl family and mortgage prices when Blair had refused to help her financially.

The sufferer, who was supported by a member of the family, additionally described how Blair had demeaned her by calling her a “dumb Māori” and “fats” which had destroyed her vanity.

She additionally informed the court docket she believed he was able to killing her.

The court docket heard how after she was hit by the cellphone she yelled to Blair’s grandfather for assist and to name the police, inflicting Blair to carry her down on the sofa with each arms till his grandfather walked into the room.

Blair launched his maintain on her, however after the sufferer informed the grandfather she had been hit and needed to go dwelling, she was informed “it didn’t occur”, that she was not leaving, and that he was not calling the police.

The sufferer then grabbed her cellphone and known as the police herself whereas holding their younger youngster.

She says Blair and his grandfather than started verbally abusing her whereas she was on the telephone. They then blocked her as she tried to go away, pushing her again as she tried to go previous them with the kid in her arms.

She managed to push previous them out to the driveway to the place the police had been ready.

Breaching a safety order

Two years later, in September 2022, Blair was charged with breaching a ultimate safety order which had been served on him simply two months earlier.

The couple had by then had twins and he had reluctantly gone to his former associate’s tackle, having been summoned by her by way of a string of textual content messages, wanting assist with one of many kids who was unwell.

Blair helped get the kids able to take to the hospital, however whereas they had been driving, they started arguing.

On the way in which again from the hospital Blair started verbally abusing the sufferer once more, at which stage she started recording him on her cellphone. He then grabbed the telephone, solely giving it again when she threatened to wave down a member of the general public for assist.

A month later Blair was arrested and charged with assault, after punching a nightclub patron within the eye with a closed fist as he left a nightclub. Blair, who was drunk, had stood exterior ready for the sufferer to go away the premises.

As he was being processed on the police station Blair acquired within the constable’s face and informed him, “I’m going to f…..g finish you”. A scuffle adopted, which ended with Blair kicking a police employees member within the shin, leading to costs of assaulting and resisting police.

Solely weeks later, within the early hours of November 20 final yr, Blair, by then on bail, had been ingesting on the town and was arrested.

‘You aren’t a five-year-old’

Decide David Ruth refused to just accept his argument he “didn’t know” it was a situation of his bail phrases.

“You aren’t a five-year-old,” Decide Ruth mentioned.

It was whereas Blair was ready exterior the police custody unit he grew to become offended and tried to seize the police officer’s pocket book, and tried to chunk a constable in the course of the scuffle.

Blair then needed to be restrained by 4 officers as he resisted efforts to get him right into a cell.

He once more tried to chunk the identical constable.

The “aggressive” battle continued for a number of minutes when Blair tried to kick and push the officers, leading to additional costs.

Clarisse mentioned Blair’s offending had escalated since 2018 towards a backdrop of a difficult relationship.

She mentioned he had suffered his personal traumatic occasions up to now and had additionally suffered nervousness and despair to ranges which had required specialist enter, however that his job as a fulltime actual property agent had helped him.

It was now doable his agent’s licence was in jeopardy on account of his offending, however his employer had supplied her full help.

Blair, by his lawyer, tried in useless to introduce contemporary materials which could have helped to elucidate a few of his actions in the course of the sentencing, however Decide Ruth mentioned they had been of no consequence to him at this level.

He mentioned Blair had “had various bridges to construct”.

He was sentenced to supervision and neighborhood work on the lead costs of assaulting an individual in a household relationship and breaching a safety order, with additional supervision and neighborhood work on all different costs, to be served concurrently.