‘Notorious’ gang man attacked good samaritan
A senior Mongrel Mob member who once enjoyed fleeting international fame for having ‘‘Notorious’’ tattooed across his face, can now be revealed as the man who assaulted a good samaritan in Napier.
Poutawa ‘‘Puk’’ Kireka, 35, appeared via audio-visual link before Judge Russell Collins in Napier District Court yesterday. He pleaded guilty to assaulting the man as well as kidnapping and assaulting his partner, and possession of cannabis.
Kireka has had interim name suppression since being arrested after the assault. It was lifted when he entered guilty pleas yesterday.
He is accused of attacking a man aged in his late 70s who stopped to assist a woman – Kireka’s partner – early on Sunday, September 25.
The elderly man’s wife told Stuff his face was ‘‘unrecognisable’’ after the attack.
The couple were driving along Marine Pde when they were confronted by a distressed woman in the middle of the road waving her arms and asking for help.
They picked her up and were taking her to safety, when Kireka drove his car in front of theirs and then assaulted the man.
The elderly victim was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital, then flown to Hutt Hospital, where he underwent facial surgery.
The woman who waved the couple down was treated for facial cuts and bruises.
Kireka’s lawyer, Ron Mansfield, entered the guilty pleas and asked that convictions not be entered until sentencing.
Judge Collins ordered various reports and set down a sentencing date in May.
Kireka gained global attention in 2019 after saying he was finding it hard to find a job with ‘‘Notorious’’ tattooed across his face.
Rapper 50 Cent used his personal Instagram account to poke fun at Kireka’s tattoo.