Name suppression for man sentenced for assault

A CENTRAL Otago hospitality stalwart has failed to avoid conviction for punching his wife unconscious, but his identity will remain secret.

The man, in his 50s, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after admitting a charge of assault.

The defendant, who has 30 years’ experience in the region’s tourism and hospitality industry, was granted final name sup pression by Judge Michael Turner but not for his own benefit.

The judge stressed the order was designed to spare the blushes of the man’s partner who was in court to support him.

The court heard the couple had been drinking on June 20 and retired to bed at 9pm.

A verbal altercation ensued and the woman struck her hus band in the back as they lay there.

The defendant responded by getting up and punching her in the eye so hard he rendered her unconscious.

It was unclear how long she was unconscious, the judge said, and there was no evidence the man had tried to help her.

The following morning, the defendant apologised.

However, the judge noted his contrition only came when the victim was considering calling the police.

‘‘There was no genuine remorse . . . Rather, he was concerned for his own position,’’ Judge Turner said.

The woman reported the assault but her husband told officers she had sustained the swelling to her face when she fell over outside while drunk.

Counsel Marie TaylorCyphers said her client now accepted the harm he had caused his wife and he had written an affidavit stressing his desire that she feel safe around him.

She said the man’s bail conditions had caused him to lose his job because he could not be on site at short notice.

Any hope of future employment would be dashed if the man was to end up with a conviction for violence to his name, Ms Taylor-Cyphers argued.

However, Judge Turner ruled that there was nothing to suggest the consequences of a conviction would outweigh the gravity of the offence.

‘‘I can’t accept that this was a minor assault . . . This is not a situation where you used minimal force,’’ he said.

The man might face stigma during his quest for reemployment but that was a natural outcome from his attack, Judge Turner said.

The defendant was sentenced to six months’ supervision — to attend a domesticviolence course and any other counselling direction by Probation.

The victim opposed the imposition of a protection order.