A 31-year-old Invercargill man who pushed his wife in the stomach the day after she had given birth appeared in court today.

Michael Shane Thomson, 31, labourer, appeared before Judge Gary MacAskill in the Invercargill District Court charged with assaulting a female and threatening to injure a person with intent to intimidate on July 29.

He was sentenced to 60 hours’ community work and nine months’ supervision.

Police prosecutor sergeant Rob Mills said Thomson had been drinking before going home to his wife and their four children aged 14, 12 and 5 years and one day.

His wife had arrived home from hospital that day after giving birth to their fourth child the day before, Mr Mills said.

An argument occurred and he put his hands on his wife's cheeks and pushed her back against a wall, he said.

There was no real pressure and she was able to breath, Mr Mills said. She hit him to make him let go, which he did. He then pushed her on the stomach, he said.

The woman went to the lounge to phone her mother-in-law and while doing so he came up behind her and hit her in the back of the head with an open hand, causing her to fall forwards on to the ground, Mr Mills said.

She called police and while speaking to them he ran his hands across his throat in a gesture of slitting her throat, he said.

He later told police he had hit his wife and when asked why he said it was self defence, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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