KEY POINTS:
An attack on three Asian students in Nelson last month was described in court today as a racially-based episode of violence that brings the country into disrepute.
Judge David McKegg made the comments in Nelson District Court during the sentencing of Harry Shannon McCormack, 28, and Daniel Bryan Kitto, 20.
The two pleaded guilty last month to assault with intent to injure and two charges of assault following the March 17 attack in which three Korean international students of Nelson College were attacked outside a city dairy. The attack was recorded on the dairy's security camera.
McCormack was jailed for 12 months for the serious assault charge and four months for the lesser charges, to be served concurrently.
Kitto, as the lesser offender, was jailed for eight months on the serious charge and three months for the others, also to be served concurrently.
Both were granted leave to apply for home detention and ordered to undergo counselling for issues such as alcohol and dependence and anger.
Allowance was made for the fact both men pleaded guilty early in the case.
Judge McKegg said Kitto and McCormack had been in a car with three others in a central city carpark when they saw the three young student, aged between 15 and 17, and yelled racist taunts at them.
Later in the afternoon the two defendants saw them sitting outside a dairy as they were driving past.
McCormack got out of the car and kicked one of the students in the face before punching a second in the head.
Kitto followed, punching the third student. The student who was kicked in the head received stitches for cuts to the inside of his mouth.
McCormack's counsel, Tony Bamford, said his client was arguing in the car with his partner and lost control. Rather than taking out his frustration on her he chose to take it out on three "innocent members of the public". He had not realised the three victims were so young.
Judge McKegg said McCormack had stated when arrested that he did not like Asian people and had decided to stop the car because he wanted to hit them.
"This was an appalling racially-based episode of violence and the type of offending that brings you, your community and your whole country into disrepute. " The parents of these three young men have now serious concerns as to whether this is a fit place for their children to be educated and who can blame them," he said.
He said it was difficult to know whether McCormack's submission that he was remorseful was due to being genuinely sorry or merely sorry for the situation he now found himself in. Both defendants had written letters of apology to the victims.
- NZPA
