Images captured from CCTV in the Triple Crown Sports Bar from July 2023 show a man in a camouflage jacket later seen swinging a beer jug in a bar brawl.
Images captured from CCTV in the Triple Crown Sports Bar from July 2023 show a man in a camouflage jacket later seen swinging a beer jug in a bar brawl.
Arrest made in beer-jug bashing case;
Bail granted as Whangārei‘s Militini Vaotogo appears in court;
Police initially laid no charges until IPCA got involved.
Now, a man has appeared in Whangārei District Court charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Militini Vaotogo, 34, faces a maximum 14 years in prison if convicted of the 2023 incident, alleged to have taken place at the Triple Crown Sports Bar in Whangarei. He was released on bail and is due back in court next month.
The arrest follows a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Authority by the couple who were distraught over the assault and what they perceived as a lack of action by police.
The IPCA told police it should take a fresh look at the case, which resulted in the arrest this week.
The Whangārei man’s partner told the Herald earlier this month: “I’ve just lost faith in police. I don’t trust the system. We were all told as kids, they’re the ones to call when you’re in trouble. That’s not the case nowadays in our experience. I just feel like no one has been held accountable for their actions”.
The couple’s long wait for justice saw them become so frustrated with police they approached private investigator Mike Sabin to ask how they could gather the evidence needed to identify the man.
Sabin used the Official Information Act to obtain CCTV footage of the July 2023 assault from police.
In the CCTV footage, the man with the glass beer jug swings it overarm into the back of his victim’s head.
The victim claims he was left with significant injuries from the incident.
Images captured from CCTV in the Triple Crown Sports Bar from July 2023 show a man in a camouflage jacket later seen swinging a beer jug in a bar brawl.
The drama unfolded at the Triple Crown Sports Bar when the Whangārei couple dropped in with friends for a few drinks and a game of pool.
Until now, there had been no charges laid against the man shown in the CCTV footage swinging a beer jug.
The woman was critical of police attending for not finding out what had happened including not keeping safe photographs taken of the man’s injuries.
After months of no action, she contacted Sabin to ask for advice. Instead, he built a package of evidence — CCTV footage, a photograph of the alleged attacker at work at Pak’nSave and medical evidence — and took it to the IPCA which told police to investigate the case afresh.
Whangārei Area Commander Inspector Maria Nordstrom said: “Police can confirm an arrest has been made over this assault from July 2023”.
David Fisher is based in Northland and has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years, winning multiple journalism awards including being twice named Reporter of the Year and being selected as one of a small number of Wolfson Press Fellows to Wolfson College, Cambridge. He first joined the Herald in 2004.
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