‘Innocent bystander’ who lost eye after being hit by bar stool at Tauranga strip club says his life is ‘buggered’

Aucklander Marcel Wichman was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on June 23. Photo / NZME

An “innocent bystander” who lost an eye after being hit by a bar stool in a Tauranga strip club says his life is “buggered” but feels no anger towards the man responsible.

Auckland man Marcel Wichman was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on June 23 following an unprovoked assault outside Mount Maunganui strip club iKandi on September 11, 2021.

A police summary of facts says Wichman, 33, and his associate got into a verbal argument with a younger group of patrons at the strip club.

Wichman’s associate punched a man in the younger group, and then Wichman was punched by a man in that group. Wichman then threw a 5.5kg bar stool in the other group’s direction which instead hit the “innocent bystander” in the face and eye.

Bar staff administered first aid to the victim and the younger group were ejected from the bar where Wichman and his associate continued to throw objects, including glasses and ashtrays and a bar stool in their direction and the other group threw items back at them.

The bystander, who was visiting Tauranga, suffered a complete globe rupture in his left eye and multiple facial fractures. He now wears a prosthetic eye.

“I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone,” the victim, who asked to not be identified, told the Bay of Plenty Times after Wichman as ordered to pay $5000 emotional harm reparation.

“It’s definitely been life-changing for sure, and it’s buggered my life in many respects.

“It’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”

Marcel Wichman was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on June 23 following an unprovoked assault outside Mount Maunganui strip club iKandi. Photo / Alex Cairns

He did not see the bar stool before it hit him but immediately felt “intense” pain.

“It was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced in life before. And when I looked down I could see bits of my eyeball on my hand and my shoes.”

The victim, a family man aged in his 30s, said he then blacked out from the “excruciating pain” and woke up in a hospital’s intensive care unit about five or six hours later.

He said because of all the swelling, the hospital doctors did not realise the extent of his injuries until he had an MRI scan which revealed the whole left eye socket had collapsed inwards.

“I had to have surgery straight away, and surgeons spent hours reconstructing the damaged eye socket and trying to glue my eyeball together.

“They literally used glue as there were bits of divots and crevices on my damaged eyeball. It was like there had been little explosion inside my eye and they also inserted three titanium plates into my face.

“I was told there was a 99 per cent chance of being blind in that eye. And because liquid was constantly weeping from that eye over time it shrivelled down to a raisin, and couldn’t be saved.”

Nearly a year later he had a further operation to remove the damaged eye and it was replaced with a silicone orbital implant and a prosthetic eye.

Almost 22 months later he still suffered “considerable pain” and discomfort.

“I’ve had intensive striking pains in and around the prosthetic eye and orbital implant and because it doesn’t fit correctly it’s quite uncomfortable.”

Adapting to his new reality has meant a major life adjustment, particularly as his injuries were “front-facing” including having significant visible scars above and below the eye socket.

“This has buggered my life in many respects but I’m quite a stubborn and determined person.

“I had decided I had two choices. Hide away or deal with looking like a deformed person, or accept my facial injuries and try to move on as quickly as I could

“However, I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone. It’s definitely been life-changing for sure and something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”

Despite that, the victim said he did not feel any anger towards Wichman.

“But I’m not going to waste energy meeting him face to face. I don’t see any point when I don’t believe his expression of remorse is genuine, but was rather intended to get him a lesser sentence.”

Judge Melinda Mason ordered Wichman, 33, to pay $5000 emotional harm reparation to his victim, $3000 of which had to be paid immediately, and imposed nightly home curfews and 24-hour curfews on the weekends.

Wichman, who earlier pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly behaviour and wounding with reckless disregard for the safety of others, was sentenced to six months of community detention and 12 months of intensive supervision, including attending drug and alcohol counselling.

Judge Mason said it was clear Wichman’s offending had “significant emotional, physical and financial” effects on his victim, who had described in his victim impact statement that he felt a “great deal of anxiousness and embarrassment” when out socialising without people.

“Paying $5000 reparation to him is nothing compared to the victim losing his sight in one eye,” she said.

The judge acknowledged that Wichman had “not intended” to hurt the victim, accepted this was “out-of-character” behaviour, and also took into account his efforts to deal with the issues behind this offending.

Defence lawyer Kirsten Moyer successfully argued that community detention would allow her client to continue to work to support his family and pay the remaining $2000 reparation.

Moyer said her client, who was remorseful, had been binge drinking that night and this was “out of the norm” behaviour for him.

Wichman had wanted to make his apologies in person but despite several attempts, it was not possible to arrange a restorative justice meeting with the victim.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.