SuppliedInjuries to a victim of Robert Scoullar caused with a 2m-long piece of wood. Photo: Supplied A Dunedin man beat two people with a tyre iron while they hid in a house, continuing the attack as one begged for mercy. The incident occurred just weeks after the perpetrator, Robert Rex Scoullar, 55, was shot in the stomach with a crossbow. He and and his associate, Cyphrus Xavier Major McCaskill-Pourau, 29, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday. The court heard that at the time of the offending, the duo knew the victim had recently inherited money. On May 9 last year, McCaskill-Pourau began repeatedly showing up at the man’s home, demanding money each time. Eventually Scoullar also came to the house and the duo made the victim sign a contract which said he owed the duo $4500. [Missing Credit]Dunedin District Court. Photo: Allied Media files As the two defendants left the address, there was an altercation in which some “rough justice” was dished out to the defendants. McCaskill-Pourau was struck over the head with a pot, leaving a cut that required 36 stitches, while Scoullar was hit with a tyre iron and blacked out on the lawn. When he regained consciousness, he picked up the tyre iron and forced his way into the house. He found a person hiding in the bedroom and hit him in the head at least six times with the tyre iron, despite his pleas for mercy. The attack left him with a cut to his head requiring five staples and another laceration to his face which had to be glued shut. Another person hiding in the house and attempting to hold the kitchen door closed was struck with the metal tool multiple times by Scoullar. The defendant told police he was acting in self defence and he wanted money from the man as he had been “running his mouth telling everyone I raped his missus”. Scoullar was also for sentence yesterday for offending on April 7, when two people arrived at his home. Scoullar repeatedly told the man to get off his property before swinging at the victim multiple times with a 2m-long piece of wood, striking him on his head and arm. Scoullar then turned his attention to the other victim, swinging the wood at him and striking his head with enough force that the wood broke. SuppliedInjuries to the victim of Robert Scoullar caused with a 2m-long piece of wood. Photo: Supplied The defendant told police he thought the men had come to his home to kill him and he was acting in self defence. McCaskill-Pourau got into further trouble while on bail for the offending with Scoullar. On October 2 last year, he tampered with his electronic monitoring anklet. Early the following morning, police arrived at the address where the defendant was. When he was told he was under arrest, he slammed the door shut and ran through the house. McCaskill-Pourau refused to come out, saying “f . . . off or I will blow you away through the door”. Eventually he came to the door and was arrested. Yesterday, Scoullar’s counsel Meg Scally highlighted that he had been shot with a crossbow in April, resulting in PTSD. [Missing Credit]Robert Scoullar was shot with a crossbow in April last year. Photo: Supplied She argued this had contributed to his violent outburst with the tyre iron. “What happened to him in April was an extreme event and it appears to have had an extreme effect on him,” she said. Judge David Robinson said while Scoullar had a significant criminal history, it was mostly for minor offending and this level of violence was out of character. “It was gratuitous violence against persons that were hiding in a dwelling and you continued to attack one of your victims despite his pleas to stop,” the judge said. On two charges of assault with a weapon, two charges of assault with intent to injure, demanding with intent to steal and burglary, Judge Robinson sentenced Scoullar to two years and nine months’ imprisonment. Deborah Henderson, counsel for McCaskill-Pourau, highlighted her client’s disadvantaged background, which she said had led him down a path of violent offending. Judge Robinson noted the defendant did not seem overly remorseful for the offending, but expressed interest in rehabilitation. The judge sentenced McCaskill-Pourau to two years seven months’ imprisonment on charges of assault, demanding with intent to steal, attempting to escape custody and speaking threateningly. felicity.dear@odt.co.nz
