Naufahu brothers on bar charges

A former Shortland Street actor and a Canterbury rugby player attacked a nightclub bar attendant because they were not served quickly enough, the Christchurch District Court was told yesterday.

Rene Naufahu, aged 31, who played ambulance driver Sam Aleni in the soap opera, and his brother, Canterbury NPC centre Joe Naufahu, 23, were drinking with two friends at the Heaven nightclub in the early hours of Easter Sunday when bar attendant Amanda Sutherland said they became angry at her for serving another patron.

Ms Sutherland told the depositions hearing, before two Justices of the Peace, that the men swore at her and she squirted them with water while telling them to "cool off".

She said the brothers then picked up glasses and threw them at her.

One glass hit her in the stomach, and her elbow was cut. The wound did not need stitches.

She told the court that she was unable to identify either defendant. She denied her actions had played a part in the fracas.

Doorman David Morley said he and another doorman rushed to the bar to find a man being attacked by the Naufahu brothers.

He had earlier recognised Rene Naufahu. In the bar, he saw Rene "bent over a guy ... kneeing him in the head" and saw the other defendant repeatedly punching the man.

"I persuaded them to go outside and they apologised for the disturbance and gave their side of the story. They didn't mention the glasses being thrown."

The man in the fight was Tyrone Nelson, whom Mr Morley described as "only 5ft 2in (1.62m) and he got a hammering".

Mr Nelson said he had seen the two defendants pouring what he thought was beer over the till and Eftpos machine.

He alerted the doormen "then saw the two defendants throwing glasses - baseball style and with some force - at the bar staff".

He went up and punched one of the brothers in the face from behind and found himself the subject of a beating until the doormen intervened.

In a joint statement to police, the Naufahu brothers admitted throwing glasses after being provoked and then being attacked.

JPs Des Crowe and Don Hampton found there was sufficient evidence to put the brothers on trial on joint charges of assaulting Ms Sutherland with a weapon, assaulting Mr Nelson, and intentional damage.

- NZPA