Courtroom erupts after punch thrown in dock

A quiet courtroom erupted into a chorus of dog sounds after a gang member smacked his co-offender in the face and called him an informant.

Rambo Barton, a patched member of the Nelson Mongrel Mob, delivered a thundering punch to Paremaina Wiperi’s left eye at the close of their hearing in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday.

The two, who sat next to one another in the dock with one police officer at the side of Wiperi, had just been stood down by the judge when Barton made his move.

Immediately after he was escorted by police to the holding cells without any further trouble, while Wiperi remained seated in the dock, seemingly unruffled by the attack.

Judge Stephen Harrop asked if he was OK and instructed police that he remain in the courtroom to avoid being detained with Barton in the cells.

Defence lawyer Patrick Mooney told the judge he had concerns there would be another assault when the defendants returned for the next hearing in their case.

Judge Harrop said it would be ‘‘highly desirable’’ for Barton to appear via audio visual link.

The two were in court on charges related to a violent incident outside The Mayfair restaurant on Devon St West on June 28.

Further co-offenders, Ryan Rito Heremaia and Michael Lindsay Wahanui, were also present at the hearing, but via audio visual link.

It was heard in court, Wiperi had only met his co-offenders on the day of the incident and did not have connections to the gang.

He was described as the ‘‘least involved’’ in the incident.

The four defendants face a variety of charges in relation to the dinnertime attack, in which a man was smashed around the head with nunchucks, a martial arts weapon.

The group then set upon members of the public who went to the aid of the victim.

Following the fracas, members from the Taranaki Organised Crime Squad, with the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Branch and Police Service Technician staff, swooped on a number of gangrelated addresses in the city and made a series of arrests.

Barton, 32, who had been on the run since June after failing to return from his father’s funeral in Te Kuiti, was found months later at an address in Waitara.

Sentencing of the men had been set down for yesterday but the Crown asked for the date to be deferred.

The request was not opposed by defence counsel.

Describing it as a ‘‘significant case’’, Judge Harrop said it was preferable the four men were sentenced together and two of the defendants’ cases were not yet at that stage.

Wiperi did not have a presentence report prepared and Barton had charges from Nelson, one of which was for carrying a loaded sawn-off shotgun, which needed further addressing.

Barton, Heremaia and Wahanui were remanded back into custody until December 14 for sentencing while Wiperi was bailed until the same date.

Barton will face a charge of common assault for attacking Wiperi.