Two hurt when peninsula birthday party turned violent
A car was rammed, one man was bashed unconscious, and another was spiked with a gaff when a birthday party turned violent at Little Akaloa on Banks Peninsula.
A 25-year-old pest controller who lived at Little Akaloa, Kea Rich, was jailed for 15 months over the bizarre incident on November 6.
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll ruled out home detention and jailed him at his Christchurch District Court sentencing on five charges.
Rich has been staying at his mother’s home on the West Coast while on bail awaiting sentence.
He had pleaded guilty to charges of wilful damage, assaulting one man, intentionally injuring another man, dangerous driving, and escaping from custody.
Defence counsel Margaret Smyth said Rich had no recall of some of the events but accepted what had happened after reading people’s statements and seeing the photographs.
He accepted that after being approached separately by two men – he says one swung a gaff which Rich took away from him – he should have walked away. He had abstained from alcohol “almost totally” since the incident.
Judge O’Driscoll said the incident began with an argument at a birthday party at Little Akaloa. Rich left the address, got into a car, and then backed over a tree and drove forward to ram his partner’s car causing minor damage to the passenger’s door.
As he walked away a 55-year-old man spoke to him about his driving and Rich punched him in the jaw. The man fell and hit his head on the road, losing consciousness. Rich carried out first aid at the scene, but the man’s victim impact statement tells of continuing headaches from a brain injury.
Two men then approached Rich, including a 60-year-old with a wooden gaff with a metal hook, which he had taken to protect himself.
Rich says the man swung the gaff, but he grabbed it. He then swung it so the hook went into the man’s lower leg causing an injury that put him in hospital for surgery.
Rich rammed his partner’s car three times as she drove up the valley on a steep and narrow road to alert the police and ambulance.
When police arrived, Rich was arrested, handcuffed, and put in the patrol car. Left alone, he activated the lights and siren.
He was then taken out and handcuffed sitting down to a hurricane wire fence while the police were speaking to witnesses. He then “stepped through the handcuffs”, broke the wire, and escaped. He was soon found hiding in bushes nearby.
Judge O’Driscoll noted he had a conviction in 2009 for injuring someone with reckless disregard for their safety. He was assessed as a high risk of reoffending, and a medium-to-high risk of harming others. He had previously breached sentences of community work and supervision.
The judge imposed 15 months prison, with six months of special post release conditions when he must attend counselling or treatment as required.
Category: Focus
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