A Martinborough man who savagely assaulted a volunteer firefighter has pleaded guilty to the attack and will appear for sentencing in Wellington District Court next month.
On Monday, the day the trial was due to start, Milton Haira vacated an earlier not guilty plea and pleaded guilty to one charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Peter Fisher.
Mr Fisher was badly beaten in October 2012 after he went to a house on Broadway St, Martinborough, to help remove an unwanted male guest from a gathering of mainly teenage girls.
He suffered brain damage and fractures to his eye sockets, nose, cheeks and mouth and was later told he had died twice and was resuscitated at the scene.
Mr Fisher was taken to Wellington Hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit and kept in an induced coma for three days.
