Mussel man gets to stay

A tribunal has quashed the Immigration Minister's decision to deport a Vietnamese man living in Nelson who holds the title of the world's fastest mussel opener.

Thien Duc Dinh, 33, of Richmond, was convicted in June 2003 of wounding Kim Ngoc Nguyen with intent to injure.

A jury found Dinh guilty of shattering a beer glass on Mr Nguyen's head, causing severe cuts and partial disability during an incident in Taylor's Bar in Nelson in December 2001.

An employee at Sealord Shellfish, Mr Dinh's claim to fame came in March this year when he won a Guinness Book of World Records title for opening 100 mussels in 2 minutes 38 seconds at the Havelock Mussel Festival.

Former Immigration Minister Paul Swain signed a deportation order for Dinh in November 2004 after he was sentenced to two years' jail to be served on home detention for the assault.

Deportation Review Tribunal members Judge Margaret Lee, Claire Duncan and Raewyn Weller heard Dinh's appeal in Nelson this month. In its decision issued last week, the tribunal accepted his offending was a "one-off".

- NZPA