A New Zealand Army officer charged with beating a fellow soldier has appeared before a court martial this morning at Linton Army Camp.
Lieutenant Joshua Saua, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of injuring with reckless disregard and common assault.
The court heard Lt Saua was involved in an incident in Palmerston North in the early hours of August 5 last year. Having broken up an altercation between the victim and another soldier, Lt Saua was escorting the victim home. The victim became aggressive, and Lt Saua assaulted him, continuing his attack even after the victim was unconscious.
The victim suffered extensive facial bruising, the court heard.
Lt Saua's commanding officer, Major Faraday, described him as an "enthusiastic and professional" soldier, and believed the incident to be out of character. Lt Saua had no history of violence before the incident - a yellow card during a rugby game was as bad as he'd ever got, Major Faraday said.
Lt Saua was deployed to Afghanistan between July 2011 and April 2012. Giving evidence, this morning, Lt Saua was asked whether he had seen action during his deployment. He told the court that his first patrol was attacked with an RPG, and he described his involvement with the identification and arrest of a "person of interest", in concert with local authorities.
It was also revealed that during the deployment, a soldier under his command died, but further details were suppressed by the judge.
The court heard that following a restorative justice session, and given Lt Saua's contrition over the incident, the victim was more understanding of the incident's circumstances.
Lt Saua is one of just three Samoan officers in the New Zealand Army. His family lives in Palmerston North, although his father is a village chief in Samoa. The court heard Lt Saua has a strong involvement in his native culture; he speaks fluent Samoan, and has previously caught media attention for his extensive pe'a - traditional Samoan tattoos.
Lt Saua expressed his intention to leave the Army, perhaps to study at university, but he wished to remain a reservist.
His sentencing is expected to take place later today.
