Champagne flute assault case: Judge lifts name suppression for accused

Property developer Andrew Montgomorie at a court appearance in April. Photo / NZME

A man accused of using a champagne flute to assault a fellow guest during a swank party at an Auckland mansion has lost his name suppression.

He is property developer Andrew Montgomerie.

The 53-year-old pleaded not guilty in April to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and has elected a trial by jury, which is set for June next year.

Police were called on April 16 to the Westmere residence, which years earlier had been crowned NZ Home & Entertaining Home of the Year. The Friday-night party was attended by several dozen of the city's property and financial elite.

Multiple police cars rushed to the normally quiet Rawene Ave that night, along with paramedics. A man was taken to Auckland City Hospital with critical injuries and underwent surgery, but was discharged within days of the incident.

Judge David Sharp issued the name suppression decision after a hearing last month at the Auckland District Court attended by the defendant's lawyer, Crown prosecutors and a lawyer representing NZME and the Herald.

The judge, however, ordered the interim suppression to remain in place until today so that Montgomerie and his lawyers could contemplate filing an appeal. The defendant has opted not to do so.

Montgomerie's lawyers also asked the judge to order multiple New Zealand media outlets, including the Herald, to remove previous reports of the incident. The judge declined to issue a take-down order but did order Newshub to change the wording in its stories in line with voluntary amendments previously made by Stuff and NZME.