Pair Avoid Jail for Their Part in Attack on Man

Two people have avoided jail for their involvement in an unprovoked attack that left a Christchurch man brain- injured.

Christchurch District Court Judge Gary MacAskill told Christine Louise Saxon and Richard Gareth Sanders that jail could have been justified, but he took into account their youth, that they were first offenders and they were peripherally involved.

Both admitted a charge of assault with intent to injure. Sanders was sentenced to 300 hours community work and Saxon to 200 hours. The main offender has already been jailed for four years.

The judge said violence was a serious Christchurch problem, and the sort of violence where others joined in after it had started was part of it.

On January 18 last year in Belfast, north of Christchurch, Saxon and Sanders were in a group of young people out for the night when they met an intoxicated man.

He offered cannabis but said it would have to be smoked elsewhere, and they drove to a secluded area.

After a short time, another man in the group repeatedly hit the victim with a bottle in an unprovoked attack, there having earlier been discussion about robbing him, the judge said.

After the victim fell to the ground he was repeatedly kicked by the main offender, and Sanders was also said to have kicked him. Saxon went through the man’s pockets.

The victim got to his feet and staggered away. He was later found swimming weakly in a nearby lake about 2am by a resident, who heard cries for help.

The victim’s main injury was concussion and bleeding to the brain, from which he still suffered effects. He could not understand why it happened and thought he had simply made friends with some people, the judge said.

Probation reports said both offenders had improved their lives and were assessed as a low risk of reoffending.

Both were basically good people who recognised what had happened was serious, the judge said.

Sanders was ordered to undertake supervision for nine months, and the pair were ordered to pay $1000 reparation each to the victim.

(c) 2008 Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.