A Napier corner store owner is looking forward to gaining permanent New Zealand residency after fearing for months he would not be able to stay in New Zealand, after incidents which started with a 10-year-old boy throwing stones at his shop window.
Zan Li, 28, who with wife Star has run the dairy in the Latham St for about 18 months, spent two nights in custody after being charged with assaulting a child, threatening to kill, unlawful possession of the small knife he kept for cutting open cartons in his shop, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving the boy's siblings lollies and takeaways in what he maintains was a goodwill step aimed at stopping repeated vandalism and shoplifting
The more serious charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years' jail, was withdrawn and, at a Judge-alone trial in Napier District Court in March, the threatening and the knife charge were dismissed.
The charge of assaulting a child was withdrawn after hearing of evidence and Li pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of common assault.
Back in the court yesterday, Judge Tony Adeane discharged him without conviction, agreeing with defence counsel Scott Jefferson that the possible consequences of conviction, including being barred from re-entering New Zealand if he travelled abroad, outweighed the seriousness of the offence.