A family on their way home from a Midnight Oil concert were, without warning, attacked by a man so brutally it resulted in two of the victims requiring surgery.
The unprovoked violence on September 1 last year has led a judge to this week dub it “serious street violence and thuggery”.
According to the summary of facts Cameron Tony Meadows, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle travelling along Ensors Rd, in Christchurch, around 11.40pm.
At the same time, Australian rock band Midnight Oil had just finished performing at Christchurch Arena and Meadows’ four soon-to-be victims were returning home from the concert.
The family had got off a bus on Ensors Rd and as they crossed the road, Meadows and his associates drove past.
After performing a U-turn, their car pulled up beside the family and Meadows and his mates jumped out.
Meadows approached a 57-year-old woman in the group and punched her in the chest, causing her to fall backward on the ground.
When her daughter went to help the woman, Meadows punched the 30-year-old in the face.
He then turned his attention to the mother’s 60-year-old partner, striking him to the side of his body.
The fourth victim, a 37-year-old, tried to assist the man but was pushed to the ground by Meadows, resulting in a fractured left wrist and a suspected fracture to his right arm.
Meadows then stole the man’s phone and left. He was arrested shortly after.
The mother suffered bruising to her chest and required surgery for her shoulder while her daughter was left with bruising and soreness to her face.
The 37-year-old victim required surgery on his fractured wrist.
On Wednesday, Meadows appeared in Christchurch District Court on Wednesday for sentencing on the violent attack and offending that occurred not long after.
On October 12 last year, while Meadows was on bail, he was in the passenger seat of a car at Christchurch Hospital.
When he was asked by police to exit the vehicle he became violent. Police found he had a flip knife and a single bullet in his possession.
Meadows was again granted bail but arrested in February this year for having methamphetamine and utensils in his possession.
The court heard Meadows was also granted compassionate bail but didn’t abide by his conditions and failed to return to Christchurch.
Meadows’ lawyer Elena Stavrovska asked Judge Jane Farish to impose a sentence of intensive supervision, arguing it would reduce the likelihood of reoffending in the future.
But Crown prosecutor Leandra Fiennes said Meadows had minimised his offending and had issues with breaching bail.
She accepted, however, that there were discounts available for his personal circumstances.
Judge Farish questioned Meadows’ ability to comply with directions, echoing the Crown’s submission around his bail breaches.
She described the offending as “serious street violence and thuggery”, noting it was highly distressing for the victims who were entitled to feel safe.
Reports provided to the court showed Meadows had a deprived upbringing and was exposed to violence from an early age, resulting in him using drugs.
The court heard he had also suffered a “serious assault” while in custody, leaving him with a brain injury which has impacted his impulse control.
Judge Farish said prison was not the right environment for Meadows given the “negative environment prison is at the moment”. He had spent 255 days in custody.
“You are a man of complex needs and unfortunately the prison doesn’t have the resources to address those complex needs.”
She added an uplift for the effect Meadows’ offending had on the victims and the fact that he was on bail, then gave him discounts for his guilty pleas, early childhood trauma and the assault he suffered in custody.
On charges of assault with intent to injure, resisting police, possession of an offensive weapon and ammunition, possession of methamphetamine and utensils, and a representative charge of common assault, Meadows was then sentenced to 18 months intensive supervision and judicial monitoring.
Emily Moorhouse is a Christchurch-based Open Justice journalist at NZME. She joined NZME in 2022. Before that, she was at the Christchurch Star.
Wayne Dewes died in hospital from severe injuries.