Jail ‘appropriate’ for repeat family violence offender

Thursday, 2 July 2026

A 20-month jail term is the latest custodial sentence for a Waimate man with a deplorable history of family violence offending.

Judge Campbell Savage told the 42-year-old in the Timaru District Court on Wednesday that there was an element of “rinse and repeat” in his continued offending and sentencing.

“If you just want to keep going in and out of prison, then you are going the right way about it because we’ve got to the point now where it’s almost pie in the sky to try and rehabilitate you…”

Judge Savage told Hamish Aachen Low that the responsibility that weighed most heavily on him was “protecting the next woman who gets into a relationship with you”.

When Low pleaded guilty in June to his latest family violence charges it was revealed that his behaviour had left his ex-partner fearing for her life.

The police summary of facts for the case said Low sent the victim multiple text messages, and voice recordings, threatening to physically assault her and calling her hurtful names.

“As a result of these messages, the victim’s mental health has been significantly impacted, and she remains fearful about the defendant’s unpredictable behaviour,” the summary said.

Low’s messages to the victim began three days after a temporary protection order was served on him.

The bulk of the messages were so abusive and profanity laden they cannot be published.

Numerous messages, voice and text, were sent between October 19 and November 15, 2025.

Several contained threats of violence including a threat to stab the victim.

One message said “I cmn [coming] for u…”, while another promised the victim “the meanest black eyes, the biggest hiding you’ve ever had in your life … I swear to god you’re going to regret it”.

The summary said Low believed the victim was in another romantic relationship, and on one occasion threatened to kill a new boyfriend, later adding he was going to kill himself.

Low also physically assaulted the victim in another incident in November with the woman yelled at, and thrown on a bed twice before escaping. She suffered bruising to both arms.

Judge Savage said the lead charge was the messages, and psychological abuse that Low had “perpetrated against the woman you’ve been in a short-term relationship with”.

Culpability factors guiding the sentence were, Judge Savage said, the threatened and actual violence, the persistent messaging, and the impact on the victim “that must have been devastating”.

“You’ve got a deplorable history of offending in this area.

“There are 13 previous breaches of protection orders, and a lot of associated charges for violence that’s been perpetrated against people who you’ve been in a family relationship with.”

Judge Savage’s starting point was 20 months in jail, with a five-month uplift because the offending was committed while Low was already serving another sentence.

There was a 20% credit for “relatively early guilty pleas”, for an end sentence of 20 months of jail for each of the breaching a protection order charges. The jail sentences were concurrent, including one month for failing to assist police with a search.

“I don’t see it as being appropriate to convert to home detention. The least restrictive sentence has to be imprisonment.”

Judge Savage said he hoped the defendant had the strength to make the changes that were necessary in his life.