Sheepish shepherd I belted wrong pair

A man who punched two people he mistakenly thought had assaulted his friend was fined in the Masterton District Court yesterday.

Richard Michael Southey appeared on two charges of assault.

Police prosecutor Garry Wilson said Southey was "extremely intoxicated" in Masterton on September 16 about 2.20am, when he punched two youths in the face.

Lawyer Louise Elder said Southey was "very apologetic" about the incident, which occurred after his friend had been assaulted.

"Mr Southey thought those other guys were the ones who had beat his friend up," she said. "He actually got the wrong people."

Southey, a shepherd, was in a position to pay off fines, Ms Elder said.

Judge Tom Broadmore said the incident would not have happened if Southey had not been intoxicated.

Southey was convicted on both charges, fined $250, and ordered to pay $100 to each victim and court costs of $132.98.