Auckland man accused of repeatedly holding knife to partner's throat convicted of multiple charges

The defendant, who has name suppression, had earlier pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges, including sexual violation and threatening to kill.

An Auckland woman trapped in a violent and abusive relationship feels vindicated today.

A judge has found a 28-year-old man guilty of a raft of sexual and violent crimes.

At the High Court in Auckland Justice Brewer said, "I find you guilty on each of the eight charges set out."

The court heard this week how the couple, whose identities are suppressed, matched on Tinder in September 2016.

Not long after, they moved into a Mount Eden flat, which the victim described as an exciting new chapter.

But the relationship soon turned violent, with fights often about money.

"Whenever he got angry... and something inside of him snapped, he would go straight to the kitchen, get a knife, get one of those knives, and hold it to my throat," she said. 

When asked in a police interview how many times that happened, the victim said, "one to three times a week".

The court heard how one night he threatened to kill her and twice sexually assaulted her.

The victim recorded the harrowing details of that night in a letter.

"It is a hugely powerful piece of evidence," said Crown prosecutor Fiona Culliney.

The defence conceded the man did fleece her of thousands of dollars, and was unfaithful, but argued she exaggerated her story each time she told it to authorities.

"Of course, there would be things that are different," the victim told the court.

"As time goes on, I’ve been to counsellors, I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD, severe depression... Things have come up as I’ve worked through myself and... I’ve been able to bring things up and talk as I’ve gotten stronger."

In a trial like this, the verdict is usually decided by a jury, but the defendent made the rare call to have it decided by a judge alone.

1 NEWS spoke to the victim today, who says she's relieved at the outcome.

The man will be sentenced next month.

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