Passenger jailed after vicious assault on cabbie

A young man fuelled by "a cocktail of booze and a pattern of violent behaviour" has been jailed for three years for bashing and robbing a Tauranga taxi driver.
Labourer Stacey Te Tatau Adam, 20, who earlier pleading guilty to robbery and assault with intent to injure, was sentenced by Judge Louis Bidois yesterday in the Tauranga District Court.
 Mohinder Singh, a 55-year-old owner-operator driver for Tauranga Mount Taxis, sustained extensive facial injuries - including having two front teeth knocked out and two swollen and bruised eyes, one of which was completely shut - as a result of the early morning attack on March 21.
Mr Singh also suffered bleeding in his left eye, a contusion on his temple, swelling and bruising on his scalp and nose, a cut lip and abrasions on his knees and elbows.
The court heard that Adam and his team-mates were celebrating after winning a softball tournament.
 At about 2.50am Adam and his three friends got into Mr Singh's taxi in downtown Tauranga and asked to be driven to a Darraghs Rd address.
They made unsuccessful visits to two ATMs, and Mr Singh accepted a cellphone as security. He agreed to return the phone on payment of the fare.
When Adam returned from the house empty handed, Mr Singh told him he could pick up the phone from the taxi office later and started to drive off. Adam then lashed out and punched him repeatedly.
Mr Singh got out of the taxi, yelled out for help, and tried to call police, but Adam continued to punch him before dragging him back into the taxi.
Mr Singh told police he recalled being punched and kicked in the head until he momentarily lost consciousness.
A witness describes Adam alternatively kicking and punching Mr Singh in the head and upper body about 20 times.
After stealing Mr Singh's wallet, containing about $190, Adam began searching the taxi. When Mr Singh tried to stand up Adam felled him with several more punches and kicks.
 When residents came outside, Adam ran off. A police dog and its handler tracked him to an address in the same street. He was found in bed.
While officers were there, a cellphone rang. It proved to be Mr Singh's. When Adam was searched, $70 was found hidden in his underwear. Adam told police he had thought the cellphone was his and admitted punching Mr Singh in the head.
 Crown prosecutor Sarah Simmers argued that a jail sentence starting at four to five years' imprisonment was warranted for the "callous, gratuitous and sustained" act of brutality, some of which was captured by the security video camera in Mr Singh's taxi.
Counsel Peter Attwood, who argued for a four-year starting point, said Adam agreed that it was a callous, unprovoked attack.
"It is clear the victim did nothing to deserve this and Mr Adam unreservedly apologises for his actions and he is here to take full responsibility. He knows what he did was wrong and that it was totally unnecessary."
Mr Attwood said Adam's offending was combination of a cocktail of booze and a pattern of learned violent behaviour resulting from his violent upbringing, which culminated that night in the vicious assault and robbery.
The attack occurred after 14 hours of binge drinking by Adam and some other members of his team.
After drinking beer at the clubrooms and in the van on the way back from Waikato to Tauranga, Adam switched to whisky and tequila once they got back into town, Mr Attwood said.
Judge Bidois told Adam that he was prepared to accept that he was genuinely remorseful, having read his letter of apology, and that he was motivated to do the anger management and alcohol abuse courses which he clearly needed.
"But what occurred here for the sake of cellphone and a $20 fare is beyond belief," Judge Bidois said, and Adam's brutal attack on a "defenceless and vulnerable man" required a deterrent sentence.