Temuka man punched witness

A 55-year-old man says he was reacting to racist remarks hurled at him when he threatened a young mother and punched a witness to his outburst into a shop window on Temuka’s main street.

Perra William Marshall was sentenced to nine months’ supervision and ordered to pay $50 to each victim when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Timaru District Court on Wednesday.

He had pleaded guilty to common assault and speaking threateningly, charges which arose from an altercation between Marshall and two others on King St, Temuka, about 9.10am on December 8, 2020.

In a summary of facts presented to the court, police prosecutor Sergeant Ian Howard said Marshall had been the front-seat passenger in a car which cut in front of another vehicle as its driver was pulling out of a car park.

Marshall approached the driver of the other vehicle, a woman he had never met, and threatened to assault her.

‘‘He was aggressive towards the complainant and verbally abused her ... for no apparent reason,’’ Howard said.

‘‘She had a young child in her car, and was very fearful for their safety.’’

Marshall veered his attention to a witness to his outburst, walking towards him and asking: ‘‘Do you want to make something of it?’’

Howard said the man turned away but a ‘‘short while later’’ Marshall shoved him, causing him to stumble.

The man fetched his phone from inside his vehicle and dialled 111.

While the man was speaking with the emergency call operator, Marshall punched him in the face from behind. He fell backwards, hitting a shop window before slumping to the ground.

The man suffered a black eye and bruising to the right side of his face.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Loh said one of the victims had made ‘‘racist comments’’ towards Marshall – but his client accepted his reaction was ‘‘excessive’’ and he was ‘‘remorseful’’.

Judge Maze said Marshall was under a returned offender order from Australia, while his previous convictions in New Zealand were from the 1980s.