Two men are told to learn to get along

Two Stratford men have been told by a judge to get along following a confrontation that involved a garden fork.

The men were convicted of separate charges when they appeared in the Hawera Court on Tuesday, October 30 following an episode at a Stratford address.

Builder Renee Lafayette Serancke (46) pleased guilty to the possession of an offensive weapon and his daughter’s partner Millan Tui Kauika (26) pleased guilty to common assault.

Both were convicted and ordered to come up if called upon, with the judge giving them both stern warnings to get along. Senior police prosecutor sergeant Steve Hickey said on October 21 Kauika was at a Romeo Street address and had been arguing with his partner. Police were called to try and separate the two and found Kauika to be highly agitated.

As he was being escorted from the property, Serancke — who was inside the address — began yelling at the defendant through an open window.

“This completely wound up the defendant and he charged towards the house. He opened the front door and barged through and began to assault the victim by pushing and shoving him. Police managed to separate the defendant and the victim.”

Kauika was taken back to the Stratford Police Station and was arrested for assault.

“In explanation the defendant stated that he lost control.”

Kauika’s lawyer Neal Harding said Serancke was able to push his buttons quite successfully.

Judge Stephen Harrop said that assuming Kauika stayed together with his partner, the two men needed to have a relationship whether they liked it or not.

When Serancke appeared, Hickey said during the altercation, he was yelling and wanting to fight Kauika. At one point he had a large garden fork and grabbed Kauika before the pair were separated by police.

Serancke’s lawyer Kelly Marriner said he pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon. He had previously been assaulted by Kauika and had his teeth knocked out, part of the reason he armed himself.

“He accepts he should have let police deal with it and he accepts now that he shouldn’t have picked up the fork.”