Cyclist jailed for 'king hit' on widow, 81

George Frires

The 81-year-old victim of a violent and unprovoked attack on a Tauranga road is taking little comfort in the two-year jail term handed to her assailant.

The elderly woman's health has deteriorated since the attack and she did not attend yesterday's sentencing of George Frires, 21, at the Tauranga District Court.

The woman told the Herald she was breathless, could not walk, and had not driven on her own since Frires opened her car door and punched her in the face with what a witness described as a "king hit".

The woman suffered a broken nose, two broken eye sockets and a fractured palate, and spent six days in hospital after the 8.20am attack on September 15.

She said she was now having a delayed stress reaction.

"I'm going through a bit of a bad spin," she said.

"I'm not very well."

Asked whether she was satisfied with Frires' sentence, she said: "I've tried to put him out of my mind. I'm trying to pick up the threads in my life and he'll have to do the same."

Frires, who had 18 previous convictions, attacked the woman while she was driving and he was riding his bicycle on Cameron Rd to do community work.

The court was told he was swerving and abusing other motorists before the woman passed him. He fell off the bike but was unhurt. He struck her with "a hammer punch, full-on, like a big king hit". Another witness said he threw the blow "like a bar fight, like it was a guy".

In a pre-sentence report Frires told a probation officer: "If it had been someone younger, I would've kept hitting her."

Judge Ian Thomas said the fact Frires knew his victim was elderly made the attack "even more despicable". "This was simply an appalling and violent reaction that could never be justified."

Judge Thomas reduced Frires' sentence by nine months for his early guilty plea, which came three days after the attack, but denied him leave to apply for home detention.

The Crown had asked for a three-year sentence, saying it was wrong to minimise Frires' "serious violence" by labelling it "road rage".

"This is just street thuggery by someone who has taken exception to someone else's driving," prosecutor Rob Ronayne said.

Frires' lawyer, Viv Winiata, agreed the attack deserved "condemnation and outrage" but said his client regretted his actions and had written a letter to the victim.

However, Judge Thomas did not accept Frires was remorseful and said his previous convictions - including assault, threatening behaviour and possession of offensive weapons - came despite a good upbringing and education and "some intelligence".

Outside court, Frires' father, John Frires, said the impact of his elder son's behaviour on the family had been "very, very traumatic".

He said the trouble started when his son began mixing with "the wrong people", including Mongrel Mob members, about five years ago.

Mr Frires had tried everything to help him and warned a judge 18 months ago that, unless his son received proper professional help, he would go on to worse offending.

Mr Frires said probation officers and police had told him they could not help and he blamed the system for not providing "earlier intervention".

Though his son glared and cursed at him during sentencing, Mr Frires described their relationship as "extremely strong".

"I take responsibility for my boy. I don't like what he's done. I don't accept blame for that but I accept responsibility for him."

Mr Frires, his mother, wife and younger son had visited the elderly victim in hospital.

"She's an amazing woman and I'm very sorry to hear that she's had ongoing trauma."

Acting Senior Sergeant Darryl Brazier said Frires had left her with "lifelong injuries and trauma".