A Nova Scotia man who pricked holes in his girlfriend's condoms to get her pregnant will have to serve 18 months in jail.

During his trial, court heard that Craig Jaret Hutchinson had been dating the complainant for about nine months in 2006 when their relationship became rocky. He thought having a child together would be the best way to save their relationship.

A Nov. 5, 2006, text message cited in court documents read in part: "I wanted a baby with you so bad, I sabotaged the condoms."

The woman, identified only as N.C., did get pregnant and had an abortion, after which she suffered "painful complications" for at least two weeks, court documents show.

Hutchinson was convicted of sexual assault in December 2011 and given 18 months behind bars, which he appealed.

But in a 4-1 decision released Thursday, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled both the conviction and the sentence were fit and would stand.