A High Court judge was entitled to raise the problem of alcohol-fuelled violence in Northland while sentencing a man to eight and a half years for killing his stepfather, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
The superior court made the comment while rejecting an appeal by Patrick Koti Te Pana, 45, that his overall sentence for manslaughter was excessive and that a minimum non-parole period of five years was unjustified.
Te Pana was convicted by a jury in the High Court at Whangarei in May last year and ordered to serve a minimum of five years before being eligible for parole.
He punched Christopher Edwards, 61, during a drinking session at Te Kopuru in early 2012 because he thought his stepfather had "stirred" Te Pana's partner up.
His lawyer Chris Muston argued in the Court of Appeal that the sentence was manifestly excessive and that the minimum non parole period was not justified.