Judge warns man who hit support worker with shopping bag and punched him in the face

A support worker at the Male Room in Nelson was hit over the head with a shopping bag by a man upset he wasn't allowed to eat leftover lamb for lunch. Photo / Tracy Neal

The man who hit a support worker over the head with a shopping bag that contained a pottle of yoghurt, before hitting him again in the face with a closed fist, has been told by a judge he should be ashamed of himself.

The assault last December happened after Gavin Robert Temiha was told he couldn’t have a helping of lamb when he dropped in at lunchtime to the Male Room in Nelson, a centre that advocates for men’s wellbeing.

Temiha initially faced a charge of assault with a weapon, which was changed to an assault charge to which he recently pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court, along with another charge of common assault.

He was convicted and sentenced today to 80 hours of community work, of which 20 per cent was to focus on basic work and living skills.

He was also given a stern warning by Judge Richard Russell who told him he needed to behave himself if he ever went back to the Male Room.

“You should be ashamed of yourself. There are no excuses or justifications for what you did.”

Judge Russell said people should be able to go to get support in safety, and also the people who ran the centre needed to be able to do so in safety.

Police said the assault happened about lunchtime on December 12, when Temiha tried to take food that was for everyone.

When told he couldn’t have the food, he reacted by swinging the shopping bag of groceries at the victim, hitting him in the head.

Temiha then hit the worker in the side of the face with a closed fist.

He was removed from the premises and trespassed.

Defence lawyer Steven Zindel said it was the result of a misunderstanding and that media coverage before today’s sentencing had been “embarrassing” for his client.

Zindel said Temiha claimed he’d been told by the supervisor he could have the leftover lamb, but the person he assaulted was not that particular supervisor.

“He was frustrated and had also been drinking,” said Zindel, who noted Temiha had since apologised and had been trespassed from the Male Room, where he had now burned his bridges.

He said Temiha accepted his behaviour afterwards toward the support worker was unacceptable.

The Male Room worked closely with men in the Nelson community who were survivors of physical and emotional abuse, to ensure they had access to a sustainable national network of appropriate high-quality support services.