Prison after bottle attack

Richard Jason Haeata has been jailed for four and a half months after earlier pleading guilty to breaching bail, offensive behaviour assault with a blunt instrument and five counts of wilful damage.

A Masterton man who hurled a bottle at a man with one eye has been sentenced to prison for four and a half months.

Richard Jason Haeata flew into a rage at the Kuripuni Tavern when he was asked to leave, throwing bottles which damaged the building and the victim's car.

In Masterton District Court last Thursday, his lawyer, Frank Minehan, said the underlying cause was drugs and alcohol and Haeata had admitted the charges.

He previously pleaded guilty to charges of breach of bail, offensive behaviour, assault with a blunt instrument and five of wilful damage.

Judge Barbara Morris said Haeata was told to leave the bar because of his behaviour.

"You picked up a Tui bottle and hurled it at the manager, fortunately it hit him in the back."

She said the man hit by the bottle had been affected by the assault.

"He only has one eye and feels vulnerable to attack and now he feels even more vulnerable."

Haeata then threw bottles at the victim's car, damaging it and breaking its windows. He also smashed a door pane of the tavern with a bottle.

When arrested, he damaged a police cell.

From the dock, Haeata asked Judge Morris not to impose any post-release conditions but she said he needed to do something about his alcohol problem.

"It is obvious it's alcohol that's behind all of this offending," she said.

She convicted and sentenced him to four and a half months imprisonment and ordered him to undertake drug and alcohol counselling.

Reparations of nearly $2000 were ordered for the damage caused to the tavern and the police cell.