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A man who stabbed his father after an argument at a family wake has had his prison term reduced on appeal from 5-1/2 years to 3-1/2 years.
Ruatapu Junior Tosh Putt, 18, attacked his father when he came around after his father knocked him out by hitting him over the head with a stereo.
The pair were attending a wake for a family member and both were drunk when an argument and fight broke out between them, the Court of Appeal was told.
His father, who was stabbed four times, had recovered from his injuries and the pair had since made up their differences.
Putt appealed his sentence on the grounds it was manifestly excessive.
In releasing their findings today, appeal court justices Ellen France, Rhys Harrison, and J J Cooper said that Putt's criminal history prior to sentencing did not involve violence and was "not particularly extensive".
They also said that Putt was provoked and that should have been taken into consideration, making the starting point for sentencing 5-1/2 years rather than eight.
- NZPA
