A man was taken to task yesterday for his obnoxious and violent behaviour at the Fleetwood Mac concert in Dunedin last November.
Phillip James Harris (29) was before Judge Dominic Flatley in the Dunedin District Court on a charge of assaulting a man at the concert with intent to injure him.
Harris had far too much to drink during the evening and started becoming "difficult and obnoxious'', the judge said.
He was stumbling into the victim and his group who were in the same area of the ground.
The victim tolerated the behaviour until about 9.30pm, when Harris climbed over several chairs and stumbled into him, causing him to spill his beer.
A verbal altercation developed and became physical. Other people separated the two men but after a few seconds Harris went over to the victim and punched him twice in the head, knocking him to the ground.
He then stood over him and punched him about five times to the head and body before again being pulled away.
The assault left the victim with concussion, cuts to the head, bruising to the left eye and upper right arm and severe redness to the right eye.
Harris acknowledged he was "extremely intoxicated'' and admitted punching the victim several times.
Counsel Anne Stevens said the defendant had been willing to go through restorative justice but that had not been able to proceed. He had brought $1500 to court for reparation.
Judge Flatley said the attack had "a considerable impact on the victim''. He had been off work and had suffered a variety of reactions to his injuries.
A probation report said the defendant was embarrassed and contrite, had written a letter of apology and wished to pay reparation. And the behaviour was said to be out of character for him. But earlier convictions for fighting suggested a propensity to react, the judge said.
He sentenced Harris to four months' community detention with a daily curfew from 7pm to 6am, 250 hours' community work and ordered him to pay $1500 reparation, including for emotional harm.
"I have to say I simply don't understand this sort of behaviour and offending,'' the judge told the defendant.
"It was a big concert. A lot of people had gone there to enjoy themselves.
"To have such an occasion ruined by the likes of you, drinking too much and becoming obnoxious, coming up to them and attacking them, shouldn't happen,'' Judge Flatley said.
