The man's actions resulted in him being cuffed and put into the back of a police car. Photo / File
The man's actions resulted in him being cuffed and put into the back of a police car. Photo / File
When Pauaherua Mumu Betham-Puha was stopped by police and told to get rid of his booze he argued, opened the can of Bourbon and cola and took a sip before pouring the rest at the officer’s feet.
His actions that night resulted in him being cuffed and put into the back of a police car but as the officer was doing this he was punched in the back of the head and face.
Now Betham-Puha is potentially facing jail time.
It was late at night on Friday, September 2 when the officer and a colleague saw a group of four men walking along High St, Motueka, where there’s an alcohol ban in place.
The officers stopped, believing the group was carrying cans of alcoholic drink.
A constable was left unconscious after stopping to speak to a group of men seen to be drinking in High St, Motueka, where there's an alcohol ban in place. Photo / Google
The constable who was assaulted approached one of the men and asked him to get rid of the drink because they were in a public area where alcohol was banned and could be fined.
Puaherua Betham-Puha began to argue with the constable before opening a can of Bourbon and cola, took a drink from the can and then poured the rest at the officer’s feet.
Betham-Puha was then arrested, and in doing so he resisted and refused to place his hands behind his back.
He was then restrained before he was handcuffed and put in the back of the patrol car.
As the constable was doing this he was punched in the back of the head by an unknown assailant, and fell to the ground, momentarily unconscious.
When he regained consciousness he was punched in the head and face four times by Betham-Puha and an unknown person.
As the constable stood to protect himself, Betham-Puha ran off with the group. He was later arrested and charged with resisting police, assaulting police and escaping police custody.
The constable was left with a concussion, a cut lip and a black eye.
Betham-Puha told police he’d had two alcoholic drinks; he poured one out and had a small scull of the other before pouring it out.
He felt he’d been arrested for something which warranted “only a ticket”, and that the officer had been “aggressive, rough and shoved him against the car”.
He said another man saw this which was why he “hit the cop” but conceded they “could have handled it better”.
Judge Richard Russell told Betham-Puha while convicting him in the Nelson District Court today it was a “nasty incident” and that a term in prison might be a starting point in the upcoming sentencing.
Judge Russell was prepared to refer the matter to Restorative Justice, before sentencing on January 19 next year.
Betham-Puha’s brother Manuariki was arrested and charged with obstructing police and assaulting police for his part in the incident. He was also referred to Restorative Justice before sentencing on the same day.
