Beaten cop looked like 'he had no life in him'

Sergeant Simon Tate

The wife of a man accused of the attempted murder of a South Auckland police officer has told a court how her husband's uppercuts left the victim looking like "he had no life in him".

Walter George Tauatevalu, 37, has denied the charge but at the High Court at Auckland today he admitted an alternative count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do so.

The attack left Sergeant Simon Tate, who was working alone in Auckland on September 7 last year, with bleeding on the brain and several broken bones after attending the domestic violence callout.

The first police officer on the scene -- a detective who had worked with him in the past -- was unable to recognise him because of the severity of his injuries.

On September 7 last year, Tauatevalu and his wife had attended the Otara Scorpions rugby league prizegiving at the Manukau Velodrome and an argument developed.

The defendant's partner told the court how he punched her in the face five times as she sought refuge in the car.

Another person at the function called police, who pulled the couple over just down the road from the party venue.

The woman, who was in the passenger seat, said Tauatevalu threatened her not to disclose the assault to the officer.

"I told him I was going to tell the truth and tell them everything," she said.

"At the same time I was trying to get out of the passenger door, he pulled me back to the seat and he told me if that happened he'd f*** me up in front of the cop."

She said Mr Tate approached her briefly before being attacked by her husband.

"I just remember hearing a mumble. I looked to my left and saw Walter uppercutting the police officer with a lot of force," she said.

"The police officer was pretty much already keeled over, leaning on him and he was just going hard out."

The witness showed the court how Tauatevalu used both hands to punch the officer in the head.

"I saw three or four punches then I just saw fluid flying and that freaked me out," she said.

"He was pretty much head down like he had no life in him."

Fearing for her safety, the woman then sped off.

She denied assertions by defence lawyer Graeme Newell that his client had thrown one punch and said she had not seen the officer use pepper spray.

Crown prosecutor Robin McCoubrey said other witnesses would give evidence that Tauatevalu repeatedly stomped on the sergeant's head, at one stage jumping in the air to do so.

Mr Tate was in court with his partner, Constable Lisa Ross, but will not give evidence because he has no recollection of the incident.

The trial in front of Justice Graham Lang and a jury of nine women and three men is expected to last a week.