A man beaten with his own softball bat has pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
Eric John Aitchison, 30, sickness beneficiary, had taken the bat to check on his sister, who was being followed by a group of youths in central Picton.
However, things turned nasty when the youths used Aitchison's bat to beat him up.
He needed reconstructive facial surgery after the attack near Picton's Shell petrol station at 3.30am on February 21, and was later charged with carrying the weapon.
Aitchison pleaded guilty in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said Aitchison, his sister and a friend had left a Picton bar where they had argued with several youths.
The youths followed the trio to the petrol station, where Aitchison's sister and friend stopped to buy food while Aitchison continued home.
Once at home, Aitchison sent his sister a text message saying he would go back to check on her. He got the aluminium bat from his garage and took it with him.
When he neared the petrol station, the youths surrounded him, took the bat and used it to assault him.
Aitchison told police he wasn't going to use the bat, but wanted to make the youths think twice about attacking.
Defence lawyer Laurie Murdoch said Aitchison had "extensive reconstructive surgery" at Wellington Hospital, including the placement of plastic bone around an eye socket.
Judge Tony Zohrab called Aitchison's actions "stupid" and said he should not have taken the bat with him.
"It's a perfect example of why people shouldn't take the law into their own hands."
Aitchison was convicted and ordered to come up for sentencing if he offended again.
Cannabis `helps sleep'
A Picton woman who grew cannabis in her back garden told police she used the drug as a sleeping aid because sleeping pills did not work.
The 49-year-old machinery worker, who has interim name suppression, appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday and admitted cultivating cannabis, possessing cannabis, possessing utensils and possessing cannabis seeds.
Mr Frost said police searched the woman's property on May 6 and found six cannabis plants, five of which were dead, growing outside.
Inside, they found small amounts of cannabis, 104 cannabis seeds, and knives and pipes used to smoke cannabis.
The woman told police she had raised the plants from seeds and intended to use the seeds during the next growing season, Mr Frost said. She told police she had trouble sleeping and had tried sleeping pills, which did not work, so she used cannabis instead.
Drink-driversDrink-drivers in the Blenheim District Court yesterday:
Ranee Amy Norton, 24, mother of Blenheim, excess breath alcohol 654 micrograms per litre of breath (legal limit 400mcg), 40 hours' community work, disqualified for six months.
James Kapilon Gutteinbeil, 52, Blenheim, excess breath alcohol 455mcg, $400 fine, disqualified for six months.
The Marlborough Express
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