Antonio Steven Moataane, 35, appeared before the Dunedin District Court yesterday, where he was sentenced to 11 months’ home detention.
It was only his wife’s perilous health condition that saved the defendant from a jail term, Judge David Robinson said.
Moataane, who pleaded guilty to counts of injuring with intent to injure, assault, refusing to accompany police and refusing to provide a blood specimen, provided a support letter to the court from the reverend of his church.
Counsel Andrew Dawson said it showed his client’s helpful nature in that setting, but it drew confusion from the judge.
‘‘How do you reconcile his penchant for violence with the Christian life?’’ he said.
Mr Dawson said Moataane had ‘‘knuckled down’’ to support his family recently.
Judge Robinson, though, said the defendant showed an appalling attitude to violence.
The court heard the man had told Probation he was ‘‘happy to meet the challenge of people who think they’re tough’’.
‘‘Your homework after this is to reflect on Luke 6: 31-38,’’ the judge said.
‘‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’’
Moataane had been driving in Brighton Rd on December 8, 2024, with his brother, Vehekite Richie Moataane, 25, in the passenger seat, the court heard.
Concerned he would fail a breath test, the former pulled up 50m short of a police checkpoint, prompting the intervention.
Moataane refused to undergo breath-test procedures and questioned police’s authority.
Concerned by his demeanour, the officer called for back-up and four others arrived on the scene.
As the defendant continued to stonewall police, a constable put his hand on the man’s shoulder to place him under arrest.
‘‘Don’t touch me or it’s not going to end well,’’ Moataane said, clenching his fists and breathing heavily.
When police tried to handcuff the driver, he swung at them, connecting with the cheekbone of one officer, while his brother, who admitted being a party to the injuring and assault, kicked another in the back of the leg, causing him to stumble backwards.
Antonio Moataane crouched over the prone officer and rained down blows on him before the two brothers were tasered into submission.
‘‘The police are not bullies. They were there to protect the rest of us from a significantly impaired driver.’’
Antonio Moataane had two previous impaired-driving offences to his name and 10 violence convictions.
He was serving a sentence at the time of the assault, the judge noted.
Vehekite Moataane, whom Judge Robinson described as ‘‘a man of promise’’, was sentenced to 200 hours’ community work last week.
Along with the home-detention term, his brother was banned from driving for a year and a day and ordered to pay $600 to cover an officer’s broken watch.
