A man has been bailed until he is sentenced for attacking the mother of his child.

A Stratford man's methamphetamine-fuelled attacks on his ex-partner may land him in prison.

During his appearance in the Hawera District Court on Tuesday, Nico James Joseph pleaded guilty to seven charges, which all related to assaults on the mother of his young child, along with damage and theft of her property.

This includes assaults with intent to injure, male assaults female, theft, wilful damage and threatens to kill. Police opposed his bail last month and Joseph has spent the past three weeks in custody.

According to the summary of facts, Joseph, the victim and their baby son were in Christchurch in April when the defendant punched his partner in the left eye after being out at a party.

On September 16, Joseph asked his partner to drive from Stratford to New Plymouth so he could sell a stereo.  During the trip he became abusive.  He  pulled the hand brake up while the car was travelling about 40km and punched the victim several times in the arm. He then pulled her by the hair and punched her in the head, leaving a bruise and lump.

On September 20, he was asked to leave the victim's home but before he did, he smashed up her cell phone, took her eftpos card and removed leads from her car, which meant she was unable to drive it.

The following day, he turned back up at the victim's home, cooked himself a meal and showered before leaving.  When he returned later, he put a tea towel around her neck and threatened to strangle her.

"The victim has had to bite his arm to get her to release her," Hickey said.

After she broke free of the defendant, he grabbed her again and dragged her back into the house, threatening to break her leg.  He then smashed a clock in front of her.

Lawyer Kelly Marriner sought bail on behalf of her client pending his sentencing hearing in December.  

She said his time behind bars had helped him begin his detox off methamphetamine, a drug he had been abusing when he committed the offending. 

Despite his "terrible" bail history, she said Joseph wanted an opportunity to get help in the community for his drug habit and also be able to celebrate his son's first birthday.

Prosecutor Sergeant Steve Hickey opposed the 23-year-old's bail and said he posed a risk to the victim if he was released.  

He also raised concern about Joseph's potential relapse if he got bail. 

"Three weeks is not that long in an addict's world," Hickey said.

Judge Max Courtney said the victim had no lasting injuries from the assaults and was focussed on moving on with her life.

While Courtney granted Joseph bail on strict conditions, he said this was no indication he would avoid jail at sentencing.

"You're looking fairly and squarely at imprisonment," the judge said. 

The judge requested a probation report  ahead of Joseph's December 15 court date.

 - Stuff