Teen jailed for groping woman and assault

A Dunedin teen who groped a woman in the street and then attacked the people who came to her aid has been jailed for eight months.

Hamish Te Raki (19) yesterday appeared in the Dunedin District Court, having admitted charges of indecent assault, two of assault with intent to injure and intentional damage.

The charges came from two incidents, defence counsel Noel Rayner said, both of which were driven by alcohol. The first took place on April 2, when Te Raki was walking down Frederick St with  mates. He took empty bottles from a bin and hurled them at the Hayward College hall of residence, smashing windows.

Two and a-half months later, while on bail, Te Raki was drunk in the same street at the intersection with George St.

He approached a woman from behind ‘‘slapped and grabbed her bottom’’.Her male friend objected and walked the victim across the street. Te Raki followed and punched the man six times in the head.

This time the roles were reversed and the victim of the molestation moments earlier tried to intervene.

The teenage defendant responded by putting her in a headlock before shoving her away.

A female friend of the victims entered the fray as the scuffle moved up the middle of George St near The Bog bar.

Te Raki reacted violently again, punching her once in the head and once in the chest.

Even when members of the public rushed in, the defendant’s temper did not cool and he challenged various bystanders to a brawl.

Mr Rayner emphasised to the court none of the three victims suffered serious injury but he accepted that was good fortune rather than anything else.Te Raki said he had 18 pre-mixed bottles of alcohol on the night in June but was adamant his wild behaviour was down to the fact one of them had been spiked.

‘‘I doubt it was spiked, Mr Te Raki,’’ Judge Dominic Flatley said.

‘‘I suspect your inability to recall exactly what you were doing or understand your behaviour relates to the amount of alcohol you drunk.’’

While the defendant had received a first strike, under the three-strikes legislation, for the indecent assault, the judge said it was at the lower end of the scale.

‘‘The touching was over clothing, it was impulsive in nature. It wasn’t overly sexual,’’ he said.

The court heard about Te Raki’s complex psychological issues. An assessment saw him diagnosed  with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, operational defiance disorder, and cognitive challenges. Combined with his unstable upbringing ‘‘it’s a cocktail for disaster’’, Judge Flatley said.

Te Raki was ordered to pay $796 for the broken windows.

rob.kidd@odt.co.nz

 

 

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