1.00pm - By ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE
An Auckland police officer was fined $1000 when he appeared for sentence in the Rotorua District Court this morning on a charge of assaulting a bar manager.
Ivan James Sarich, 34, expected to lose his job and "regrets mightily" what happened, his lawyer David Jones told the court.
Sarich was convicted last month on one charge of common assault on Rotorua Fuze Bar co-owner and manager Glen Baker during a night out drinking in the city in May last year.
He was cleared of injuring Mr Baker with intent by biting his thumb and of assaulting bar worker Elinde Kersbergen.
Charges arising out of the same incident against two colleagues were also dismissed.
Tracey Catherine Wong, 33, Sarich's fiancee at the time and now his wife, and Paul Ian Reeves, 34, had denied assaulting Mr Baker. Wong also pleaded not guilty to assaulting bar patron Randall Brandon.
Sentencing Sarich, Judge Phillip Cooper said he had rejected the defence that Mr Baker had hit Wong first and Sarich had gone to her defence. He should have used his police training to calm Wong down and the fracas would not have developed further.
The judge ordered Sarich to pay $500 reparation, $100 of that for damage to Mr Baker's clothing and $400 "to recognise in a small way" the effect the assault had on the bar manager.
Auckland police officer fined for assaulting bar manager
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.