Auckland businessman Andrew Hay allegedly assaulted a man protesting against horse racing outside the Ferry Building in November. Video / Citizen of Auckland silent audits
An elderly activist suffered two broken ribs when a businessman eating lunch nearby purportedly got “annoyed” with the noise he was making and allegedly assaulted him.
Andrew Hay, 63, founder of financial advice company Apex Advice, was arrested for allegedly assaulting Deno Stock, 73, an animal rights advocate, as the Aucklander protested against the Melbourne Cup outside the downtown Ferry Building.
Dramatic video footage captured the moment Hay launched at Stock and other protesters on November 5, showing Stock falling to the ground and bystanders rushing in to calm Hay.
Stock told the Herald he was used to people jeering at him as he demonstrates, but said Hay’s “vicious attack” caught him by surprise and he believed the physical altercation was unfair as “we were doing everything legal”.
Andrew Hay, 63, founder of financial advice company Apex Advice, caught on video allegedly assaulting protesters.
Stock said: “It’s quite legal to protest, and he had no right to come and do that”.
He said his injuries had incapacitated him.
Hay had no comment to make aside from saying the matter had been dealt with and “a full reconciliation with the impacted party” had been completed, one of his representatives told the Herald.
A police spokesman confirmed a 63-year-old was arrested after an assault and theft of a mobile phone outside a bar on Quay St on November 5.
The man was referred to Te Pae Oranga, a kaupapa Māori restorative justice process, he said.
A police spokesman confirmed a 63-year-old was arrested after an assault and theft of a mobile phone outside a bar on Quay St on November 5.
Deno Stock says altercations are just a risk he takes with his advocacy.
Stock was protesting against horse racing. He said his aim was to attract attention to his cause by being loud and disruptive.
“So we were protesting. I had a megaphone and I was playing music with words about the Melbourne Cup and he came out and first tried to rip my megaphone off me.
“Then about 10 minutes later, he came out again. His face was as red as beetroot and then he pushed me. I sort of went back, then he grabbed me around the neck and started to, you know, push me around.
“Then I fell back and he sort of fell on me - he did a body slam.”
Deno Stock says he is used to people jeering at him as he demonstrates but the attack caught him by surprise.
Stock said altercations were just a risk he took with his advocacy.
“The police lady that interviewed me later, she said she was really pissed off by this sort of thing. She said we were doing everything legal.”
Stock claimed police struggled to find Hay when they arrived on the scene.
Stock claimed restaurant staff told him Hay had left the premises, however, Stock understood Hay may have been hiding inside and was ultimately found and arrested.
He confirmed Hay had purportedly written him an apology letter where he said he became “somewhat annoyed at the noise and disruption” and went up to the protesters “somewhat too aggressively”.
