Teen admits 'bullying his brother's bully'

A Picton teenager has ended up in court for giving his younger brother's bully a black eye, the Blenheim District Court heard yesterday.

Rawiri Kero Leask, 19, admitted assaulting the male teenager and was sentenced to 100 hours' community work when he appeared in Blenheim District Court yesterday.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said Leask approached the 16-year-old Queen Charlotte College student outside the school gym during the lunch hour on May 30.

Leask asked if he had been bullying his brother and asked him to give a reason why he should not hit him.

He punched the victim once on the left-hand side of the head with enough force to knock him to the ground and then left the campus.

The teenager was also left with minor cuts above his eye and was treated at a medical centre.

Leask was later found by police and told them he did not like it when his brother was picked on.

Defence counsel Nikki Utting said Leask's brother had come home with a black eye and had been bullied for some time by the student.

He knew what he did was wrong and needed to find other ways to deal with the situation.

Judge Tony Zohrab said he understood Leask's actions, and asked if he could see the irony in the incident.

"You went along and bullied the bully."

Stole from winery

It will take about nine years for a Blenheim man to pay back the $14,000 he stole from a Blenheim winery.

Heath Damian Moa, 28, offered to pay the reparation at $30 per week for stealing the money from the Montana Brancott Estate on January 20.

Judge Zohrab said while the victims were keen to have the money back, they should not "hold their breath" to be paid.

Moa was also sentenced to 375 hours' community work, 12 months' intensive supervision and six months community detention for the theft, two charges of breaching community work and breaching intensive supervision when appeared in court yesterday.

Judge Zohrab asked whether Moa could offer more money, but defence counsel Bryony Millar said he could not.

Moa was with an associate who worked as a cleaner at the winery and had no permission to be there, he said.

He turned a handle of a floor safe which was left ajar and found just over $14,000 which was from an earlier fundraising event held by the company.

Police identified Moa by fingerprints left at the scene, he said.

Mrs Millar said the theft was a one-off and out of character and Moa had no previous convictions for dishonesty.

"The opportunity presented itself and he was unable to avoid that opportunity."

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School burgled

Three men appeared yesterday on charges of burglary at Blenheim School last week.

Jessie Thomas Robin, 22, a labourer and Massey Hoani Rogers, 17, both of Blenheim, were granted bail and will reappear on September 5 and September 12 respectively.

David John Wooltorton, 27, a fisherman of Blenheim, was denied bail and will reappear on September 12. None entered pleas to the charge, alleged to have happened between August 3 and 4.

- The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 23/08/2011