Road rage attack
‘Go Mum, go': Children terrified as man smashes windscreen
Two young children cried and screamed “go Mum, go” as Nui Kereopa thumped his fist on their windscreen and bonnet in what has been described as an “alarming” road rage incident.
The actions of Kereopa were caught on video by his victim as the drama unfolded on Fenton St in Rotorua about 3.30pm on February 13.
Kereopa has now appeared in the Rotorua District Court and admitted a charge of wilful damage.
The video was given to the Rotorua Daily Post by his victim on the condition Kereopa’s face is blurred.
It shows Kereopa coming to the victim’s driver’s side window and swearing at her before he smashes his fist on the windscreen, causing significant cracking. He then thumps the bonnet twice.
As she drives away, she tells Kereopa her children are in the car. The children can be heard on the video crying, saying “Go Mum, go” and “Mummy, I want to go home . . . just drive, Mummy.”
At Kereopa’s court appearance on Friday, Sergeant Roger Schreuder read the summary of facts.
Schreuder said Kereopa and the victim were involved in an incident
involving a passing lane where Kereopa believed the victim put him in danger while driving.
Kereopa later cut the victim’s vehicle off on Fenton St causing her to stop. It was there the violent incident unfolded.
Schreuder said Kereopa later told police the video footage didn’t capture
the whole incident but he admitted he went too far.
He had previously appeared before the courts, Schreuder said.
His lawyer, Taria Ngawhika, said her client did not know there were children in her car.
She said he was remorseful, was prepared to pay off damage to the car
at $30 a week and wanted to engage with her in restorative justice.
Schreuder asked if sentencing could be adjourned because the victim had indicated she would be keen to take part in restorative justice.
Community Magistrate Lesley Jensen said reading the summary of facts was “really alarming”.
“I’m quite surprised to hear the victim is prepared to meet you and I’m guessing they are looking for some understanding, because they have got children who also need to understand what went wrong here on that day.”
Kereopa interrupted Jensen to say he had children in his car, too.
Jensen said he could imagine how his children would feel if someone did that to his vehicle.
The victim told the Post yesterday she was still traumatised and had not made a final decision about meeting Kereopa face to face.
She wanted to know what she had done to make him so angry.
“I was thinking in my head ‘what did I do wrong?’. But it wasn’t my fault.”
She said her children, both aged under 10, had trouble sleeping in the weeks following the incident but they were doing better now.
She was too shaken to drive in the first couple of weeks but had since got back behind the wheel.
“But I don’t even like driving my car around now and I have been really paranoid lately . . . I still get antsy if I see someone being a bit of a douche.”
She said she filmed the incident because initially, she wanted to just get his number plate, but then left it running when Kereopa got out of his vehicle.
Kereopa will be sentenced in June.