A Cromwell grandfather has been given a blast by a judge after fraudulently claiming to be a policeman and then chasing a man round his property.
“This is one of the most puerile things I’ve ever seen – from a 61-year-old man,” Judge Philip Connell told the Dunedin District Court this afternoon.
“Your ill temper on this occasion got the better of you in a very very foolish way.”
Stephen Wallace Fraser (61) appeared in court after pleading guilty to threatening to do grievous bodily harm.
Defence counsel Russell Checketts told the court the background to the incident had been a clash between his client’s brother-in-law and the man’s friend.
The victim was out for a walk with Fraser's brother-in-law in Leith Valley Rd on January 7, court documents said.
The defendant had arranged to pick up his wife’s brother at the end of the walking track but when he got their he saw the victim and flew into a rage.
Fraser told the man he would “break every bone in his body” and claimed he was an ex-police sergeant from Christchurch.
That was a lie.
He followed the threat up with a kick that caused the victim to stumble backward, then wandered off, leaving a trail of verbal abuse in his wake.
With the brother-in-law in tow, Fraser discovered the victim still had some of the man’s property.
“He got involved in a domestic dispute which really didn't involve him,” Mr Checketts said.
Still wound up, Fraser drove to the victim's house and parked over his driveway entrance.
On his return home, the man withdrew his cell phone and began filming.
Again, Fraser's temper reached boiling point.
He jabbed his arm out of the window and pushed the phone into the man's face before getting out of his vehicle.
The victim scaled a gate and ran off towards his property with the defendant following.
Fraser gave up the pursuit eventually but before leaving, he “punched his fist into his palm and stated 'I'll be seeing you boy'”.
When spoken to by real police, the defendant admitted he had never been an officer and told them he had wanted to frighten the victim.
The relationship at the heart of the dispute was now over, Mr Checketts said, which the family was happy about.
Judge Connell ordered Fraser pay the victim $1000 - $300 was due today and $100 a week subsequently.
“You have done some very good things in the community and for some reason you’ve behaved like a 14-year-old school kid having a bash at someone,” the judge said.
“Please don’t come back at 61 years old for this sort of rubbish. It is rubbish and you know it.”
