Former Otago student jailed over bar attack

After downing a litre of vodka and popping some pills. Ayoun Soud joined 250 other students who headed into the Dunedin CBD for a gig at Fifty Gorillas. Photo / Shawn McAvinue / Otago Daily Times

A student who had dreams of medical school has been jailed for two and a half years after a bloody bar attack that left three people with permanent facial scars.

Sammy Ayoun Soud (22) held his head in his hands and blew kisses to his wailing parents in the public gallery, who had to be escorted from the courtroom.

The Auckland man, who had been studying at the University of Otago, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to injure and two counts of wounding with reckless disregard after his trial at the Dunedin District Court had started earlier this year.

Defence counsel Sam Lowery told the court today his client originally denied the charge because he had no memory of the incident on August 2 last year.

Once he heard the victims give evidence, that stance changed.

The late acceptance of guilt should not be viewed as indicative of a lack of remorse, Mr Lowery said.

He urged Judge Kevin Phillips to sentence Ayoun Soud to home detention.

Prison, Mr Lowery said, would change the defendant's life and effectively end his hopes of a career in medicine.

The judge though ruled the offending was too severe.

After downing a litre of vodka and popping some pills, Ayoun Soud joined 250 other students who headed into the Dunedin CBD for a gig at Fifty Gorillas, a bar on Princes St.

The defendant first became involved in a bout of pushing with another person but the violence soon escalated.

The first victim approached Ayoun Soud and asked if he was "all good".

Despite the innocuous question, the defendant raised his glass and slammed it into the left side of the man's face.

The jagged remainder, he threw at the victim's friends standing nearby.

It hit a second man in the face and a shard struck a woman in the chin.

Both men needed multiple stitches to close their facial wounds and suffered visible scars as well as psychological trauma.

They each struggled with subsequent study and one was exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The female victim described the four stitches she needed to close her gash as "the most painful thing she had ever felt", the court heard.

Crown prosecutor Richard Smith said the offending could have been reflected by more serious charges being laid.

"It's precisely the type of violent conduct that needs to be seriously deterred and denounced," he said.

"It's a matter of pure fortune [the victims] are not blind."

He questioned the legitimacy of Ayoun Soud's remorse, as did Judge Phillips, who referred to Facebook messages sent by the defendant in the days after the incident.

In them he said he was unsure how he would make up for what he did and suggested maybe he could "get the man a couple of grams".

The judge suggested that was a reference to drugs being given to a victim.

Mr Lowery said he had not taken instructions from his client regarding the matter.

References provided to the court described Ayoun Soud as "a happy drunk" and a non-violent person.

The man's father said the incident was out of character and believed his son had been led into a drinking culture.

Ayoun Soud was ordered to pay his victims a total of $2750 once he is released from prison.