A man who punched someone in the face, breaking their dentures and fracturing their eye socket, claimed he thought the victim was a gang member.
Caleb Jerey, 25, appeared in the Invercargill District Court last week after pleading guilty to a charge of injuring with reckless disregard.
On October 1, the defendant was outside the Langlands Hotel in Invercargill.
The victim approached the hotel and the defendant confronted him.
Jerey punched the man in the face, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
The victim required immediate medical attention and was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
He suffered a fractured eye socket, broken dentures and was bleeding from his mouth and nose.
In explanation, the defendant said he felt threatened as he believed the man was a gang member.
He said he "decided to strike first before he got hit".
Judge Russell Walker sentenced the man to six months’ community detention and 12 months’ supervision and ordered him to pay $500 emotional harm reparation.
— Felicity Dear, PIJF court reporter
