Public scale court barrier to assault defendant in dock of High Court at Napier

Police arrive to restore order at the Napier courthouse. Photo / Ric Stevens

Pandemonium broke out in a High Court hearing on Monday when spectators scaled a two-metre barrier to assault the defendant in the dock.

One Corrections officer appeared to be injured in the melee, which happened during an administrative hearing before Justice Helen McQueen in the High Court at Napier.

About 30 whānau and supporters of the victim had earlier filled the public gallery of the courtroom in Napier for the hearing.

The hearing proceeded normally until a man scaled the 2m glass barrier between the gallery and the courtroom. The doors in the barrier had been locked.

He was followed by two others, who leapt into the dock to assault the defendant as Corrections staff, security guards and a police officer struggled for several minutes to regain control.

One of the Corrections officers was left sitting on the ground with what looked like an injured leg and unable to get up.

The judge quickly left the court, and media representatives and a probation officer were escorted down a stairway to a back entrance of the court.

Police arrived in force several minutes later and swarmed the building.

Police said later that two people had been arrested and charges were being considered.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.