Twenty punches, 12 blows with a spanner, five stomps, one head-butt.
Brendon James Powell (47) said he was trying to scare his 17-year-old victim rather than cause him harm, the Dunedin District Court heard this week.
Judge Kevin Phillips who had viewed the CCTV footage of the attack in Central Dunedin on June 7, 2021, had a different take.
"What I observed was a sustained attack."
Powell who pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to injure was lucky not to be facing a more serious a charge, the judge said.
The defendant’s 13-year-old daughter had been outside a fast-food restaurant in George St with the victim on the day of the incident.
When Powell turned up to collect the girl he was informed the 17-year-old — who had a learning disability — had offered her vodka drinks.
"He was also told that the victim had a history of targeting younger females and had photos of underage females on his phone," a police summary said.
After getting into his vehicle Powell and his partner began scouring the streets.
Minutes later they found the victim in an alleyway alone, waiting for friends.
"You appeared to calmly approach him before all of a sudden letting go with the first punch," said the judge.
The teen was knocked backwards into a rubbish skip and Powell punched him again, sending him to the ground.
As further blows landed, the defendant repeatedly told the victim to stay away from his daughter.
The stomps, Judge Phillips noted, "were delivered with great force".
At one point, Powell walked out of the view of CCTV, returning 30 seconds later wielding a metal spanner.
The victim was sitting against a wall, begging his attacker.
"No, please stop, please don’t," he said.
But Powell ignored him and laid into him with the tool, as the teen moved on to his back trying to parry the blows.
Before he left the scene, the defendant head-butted the victim then stomped on his face.
Court documents said bystanders who witnessed the incident were "significantly traumatised by the level of violence".
The victim was admitted to hospital with an assortment of cuts and bruises; he had a swollen nose and contusions to his eyeball and orbital tissues.
Counsel Meg Scally accepted her client’s behaviour was a massive overreaction but was driven by concerns for his daughter’s welfare.
"It was a reaction I think a lot of parents would identify with," she said.
Added to that was Powell’s mental health make-up, which made him less able to control his emotions, Ms Scally said.
Judge Phillips did not accept suggestions the defendant was remorseful.
Powell was jailed for two years, one month.
