KEY POINTS:
A Hastings teenager, who joined in what a judge described as the "bloodlust" assault of a school pupil in front of up to 40 other young people, has narrowly avoided being jailed for kicking the boy as he lay on the ground.
Judge Bob Wolff told Jerry Putaranui, 18, of Flaxmere, that he might be making a mistake in not sending him to prison, but said if judges were to make mistakes, it was better they erred on "the merciful side".
Putaranui was today sentenced to 100 hours of community work and placed under nine months' supervision to allow him to take part in anti-violence and anger-management programmes.
He appeared for sentence in Hastings District Court after yesterday being convicted of assaulting the school pupil on March 30 this year.
The assault was videotaped and later appeared on the YouTube internet site, with a rap music soundtrack.
Two Hastings brothers are to be sentenced early next month for their part in the attack at a Hastings park.
Judge Wolff said the complainant, whose name has been suppressed, had been brave to attend the pre-arranged fight, knowing he was likely to "get a hiding" and had not told anyone either before or after the assault.
"Even when he had been beaten up by a large group of people, he suffered in silence."
The matter only came to the attention of the police after it appeared on YouTube.
As the oldest defendant to be charged, Putaranui should have shown an example and discouraged others but instead had joined in the "bloodlust," said Judge Wolff.
If supervision had not been imposed, Putaranui would have faced 250 hours of community work for his part in the assault.
- NZPA
