'Vigilante' businessmen asked to prove actions were lawful

Chris Vizor (L) and Bruce Sullivan (R). Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

WELLINGTON - Two businessmen involved in an alleged vigilante street patrol in the Wairarapa town of Martinborough have had their sentencing delayed to give them time to prove their actions were lawful.

Store owner Bruce Sullivan and his son-in-law, Chris Vizor, a builder, were due to be sentenced in Masterton District Court yesterday, The Dominion Post reported.

The pair are seeking discharge without conviction.

Police opposed the application, saying there was no justification for it.

Judge Mike Behrens said he would not make a decision without hearing all sides of the story.

"The defendants appeared primed for action. I shirk away from saying they were proceeding lawfully. It could be seen as vigilante-type behaviour," he said.

Sullivan, 51, previously pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon while Vizor, 33, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and recklessly discharging a firearm.

They were among about 50 members of a community group which patrolled Martinborough at night after a spate of burglaries early last year.

The group disbanded after a run-in between the two men and local teens on May 21 in which some of the youths were injured.

Vizor fired one shot from his gun into the air to try and break up the fight.

They both later explained to police that the weapons they were carrying were for their safety while patrolling dark rural areas. It had been a case of self-defence, they said.

Judge Behrens yesterday reserved his decision, asking for medical records and a copy of police evidence.

- NZPA