Drinkdriver avoids jail for taxi driver assault

A DUNEDIN man who punched a good Samaritan taxi driver has dodged a term of imprisonment.

Dominic D’Angelo (34), of Dunedin, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday, charged with assault with intent to injure in relation to an incident that occurred in the early hours of Saturday, May 7.

D’Angelo crashed into a lamppost in Ravensbourne Rd (State Highway 88) and assaulted a 50yearold taxi driver who had stopped to help him.

Counsel Alan de Jager said his client had tried to attend a restorative justice conference and was working to pay $32,000 reparation for the significantly damaged lamppost.

The driving incident had already been dealt with by the court.

D’Angelo was one of four qualified conveyor belt engineers in Otago, and was ‘‘desperate to cling on to his work’’, Mr de Jager said.

Judge Michael Turner told the courtroom that the summary of facts ‘‘does not make for good reading’’.

D’Angelo had been driving north after drinking on a Friday night when he cut a corner on a grass verge in a 70kmh zone.

His car slid and crashed into the lamppost with such force that it snapped the axle of the car, which came to rest 15m away.

D’Angelo was cleaning up debris when the taxi driver stopped to help.

D’Angelo asked for a ride home but the taxi driver put on hazard lights and called police, at which point D’Angelo punched the victim twice in the face.

The victim fell to the ground and D’Angelo threw another two punches at his face when he was restrained by a bystander, before breaking free and kneeing the victim in the face as he got up.

The inference from the summary of facts was the defendant had not wanted police to be called, Judge Turner said.

The real issue in the sentencing was whether D’Angelo would be sentenced to prison or a communitybased sentence for the assault, Judge Turner said.

From a starting point of nine months’ imprisonment, D’Angelo was sentenced to four months and two weeks’ community detention — with a warning from Judge Turner that if he breached his conditions, he would likely be sent to prison.