Jailed schoolboy reappears on assault charges

A schoolboy jailed last week for manslaughter was back in Timaru District Court today on two assault charges.

On July 12, Daniel Kerisiano Senelale, 18, was jailed for 2-1/2 years for killing Mark Anthony Smith on February 26 with one punch over a racist remark.

Both charges he faced today pre-dated that incident .

The former Timaru Boys' High prefect admitted assault on James Walters, 27, of Timaru on June 25 last year.

At a depositions hearing before justices of the peace , he was remanded on that charge for sentencing on July 27.

But Senelale denied assaulting Svend Jensen, 20, of Fairlie, with a bottle on January 7 this year.

He was committed for trial on that charge, and remanded for a callover on August 9.

His lawyer Wayne van Vuuren made no application for name suppression.

Mr van Vuuren said there had been no attempt to hide the alleged assaults, but they had been held over to avoid prejudicing the manslaughter trial.

Mr Jensen said he was drinking with friends in Timaru when Senelale accused him of beating up his younger brother at Twizel.

A heated argument developed, in which Senelale hit him on the head with bottle, Mr Jensen alleged.

Mr Jensen needed stitches to a head wound.

- NZPA