Lymon Ormsby was sentenced for a violent assault after being found guilty at a trial in December.
WARNING: This article discusses graphic violence and may be upsetting to some readers.
A man who was slashed along his jaw, leaving a 10cm cut from his ear to his mouth, by a man yelling “Killer Beez” now struggles to go outside because he feels like people are staring at his scar.
Cecil Peterson was enjoying an evening with his relatives when he was attacked by Lymon Ormsby, a gang member who was looking for a fight.
Today, Ormsby was sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment after being found guilty at a trial in the Whangārei District Court of one charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one charge of assault with intent to injure.
The jury heard during the December trial how Peterson was having drinks with his cousins at his home on Second Ave, Whangārei on the evening of May 6, 2022 after doing the lawns and putting dinner on.
Across the fence, Ormsby and his associates were also having drinks and decided to invite themselves over to their neighbour’s house.
After the two groups socialised for about 30 minutes, Ormsby talked about starting some fights which Peterson said wasn’t going to happen on his property and ushered them out onto the street.
But instead of leaving Ormsby punched Peterson in the face before running away and returning with a sharp object in his hand.
Ormsby struck Peterson in the face, leaving a slice-like wound extending from under his right ear, along the jawline, up to the corner of his mouth.
Throughout the assault, multiple witnesses gave evidence Ormsby was yelling “Killer Beez”.
When Peterson gave evidence at the trial, he described the feeling of the slash to his face.
“He [Ormsby] bounced back and I didn’t think anything about it, but then he came again and I felt half my face, my jaw drop,” Peterson said.
When Peterson was asked to explain what he meant by half his face drop, he said he put his hand to his face and “it was just gone”.
Crown prosecutor Danica Soich submitted a starting point of seven to eight years in recognition of the serious violent offending Ormsby inflicted on a stranger.
“This case involved extreme violence,” Soich said.
“The psychological impact has been ongoing and the victim has since had to move towns due to fear. He is permanently disfigured and while he has approached medical professionals to assist with the scar, he will have it for life”.
Ormsby’s lawyer, Mathew Ridgley said his client had a message for all those involved in the case.
“This morning when I gave the victim impact statement to him, his response was he bears no ill will towards the victim or any of the witnesses. Whilst there is nothing to forgive, he forgives them for coming to give evidence even though he knows it was something they had to do and he accepts that.
“It was important the victim and victim’s whānau understood that,” Ridgley told the court.
Judge Taryn Bayley said the evidence given by those who were there was overwhelming and Ormsby was “hyped up” that evening.
“You are remorseful and you now realise, you could have killed him and it is likely, after sitting in the jury trial and hearing evidence, that has brought home to you how serious this was,” Judge Bayley said.
“After two months off work, the victim was only able to perform light duties. Surgery meant he had to have further time off work amounting to more lost wages.
“They have had fears of sleeping, thinking someone will come back and he has difficulty going outside because he feels people are staring at his scar.
“It is an ongoing reminder of what occurred. You intended to use that knife to inflict harm,” Judge Bayley said.
Ormsby has reportedly cut ties with the Killa Beez, has had his tattoos removed and has been alcohol-free since 2022.
Despite his positive turnaround, Ormsby was sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
