Wheelie bin hurled through car window

A New Plymouth man threw a wheelie bin through the window of a car belonging to people he had just assaulted, a court heard.

Che O’Neill was sentenced in the New Plymouth District Court on several charges including assault with intent to injure, wilful damage, assaulting police and receiving property.

According to a police summary of facts, O’Neill was visiting friends on St Aubyn St on October 2020 and got into an argument with a female visitor.

O’Neill followed her out of the address and she told him to ‘‘f... off’’.

Her partner was waiting in a vehicle outside and he told O’Neill to leave the woman alone.

O’Neill approached him and pair began to fight.

O’Neill threw a number of punches and one connected to the victim’s head, causing swelling around his right eye.

When the woman tried to intervene, O’Neill punched her towards her head area and pushed her to the ground towards a concrete wall, causing her to hit her head and get a small wound.

Both victims jumped in their vehicle to try and get away, but O’Neill picked up a wheelie bin and smashed it on to the windscreen.

Police arrested O’Neill, but while in the back seat of a patrol vehicle he kicked out at the arresting officer’s leg.

During the ride back to the station O’Neill was verbally abusive and repeatedly threatened to hurt the arresting officer.

While in custody, O’Neill told police he had consumed methamphetamine and heroin earlier in the day but denied assaulting anyone.

Earlier in the month, O’Neill had also taken two handbags from cars in the space of an afternoon, and used bank cards to make multiple purchases.

In court on Wednesday, Judge Gregory Hikaka noted O’Neill had 17 convictions in the year 2020, and a much longer history in Australia.

O’Neill was sentenced to 10 months of home detention, with six months of post-detention conditions, and ordered to pay reparation at $20 a week.