Year’s jail for hitting policeman

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 7

Year’s jail for hitting policeman

A man with a reputation ifor violence, who “king-hit” a ■constable who had been called to a brawl in the Lion !Tavern, Lincoln Road, on the (evening of May 5. was jailed Ifor a year by Mr Justice Casley in the Supreme Court yesI terday. Grant Hamarama Maranui, aged 25. who is already servling a six months term for assaulting a woman in the ho|tel on the same evening, has ■had the year added to that Term. He was found guiltv by a jury. ’ Mr M. J. Knowles, for Maranui, submitted that a conic urrent term should be imI posed. Evidence was given at the j trial that Constable W. M. [Haussman was speaking to a Iperson when Maranui, who was not in his vision, said: i “I’ll give you something to! arrest me for” and struck him{ on the left side of the face' knocking him to the floor. I A bone in Constable Haus-{ sman’s left cheek was smashed and he spent a week in :

n {hospital and a further two a!weeks off work. !- j “Maranui, this was dis--1 (graceful conduct on this e [night,” his Honour said. “You d 1 started off by hitting a wo--!man and breaking her nose. -{Then you were involved in a {fight with a man who object;Jed to you striking a woman. .’[ “When this young police .■officer came in and tried to .{sort things out you perpes;trated a quite unexpected and t {cowardly assault on him resulting in him getting a broken cheek bone and being adImitted to hospital.” He supposed that Maranui '{could make the excuse that '{he had had a fair bit to drink {that day but that did not jus--3 tify treating the matter ■{any less seriously. L “You have got an obvious ’ I record of petty violence and : [general anti-social conduct ’{and your behaviour in the ho--1 tel on this night was quite in ! keeping with your reputation,” his Honour said. • { Last week three persons, • {who were convicted of serii'ous assaults on a police offi-l

cer, were sentenced to substantial terms and it was obvious that the courts had to take a serious view of such offences.

“You were sentenced to six months imprisonment for the blow you struck a lady who tried to get a jacket back for a friend. 1 will pay what regard I can to the hopeful comments in the probation report, although having regard to your past conduct, the probation officer may be more optimistic than your record might justify,” his Honour said.

i He certainly' could not deal with Maranui on the basis of imposing a concurrent sentence. The courts had to protect police officers in the execution of their duty.

This was not on the same scale as occured at Tauranga and he had no intention of imposing a sentence of that magnitude on Maranui. But it was a serious enough assault coupled with the factors that the attack was quite unexpected and completely 'unprovoked, said his Honour.