Refugee pleads guilty to assault in CYF rampage

Photo / File

A father accused of going berserk at a Child, Youth & Family centre in Christchurch has had a charge of threatening to kill withdrawn.

Iraqi refugee Thamir Abdulridha El Mehdi, 48, appeared in Christchurch District Court at Nga Hau e Wha Marae this morning and pleaded guilty to intentional damage, causing grievous bodily harm and common assault.

He will be sentenced on February 27.

El Mehdi was severely injured in the incident at the CYF premises in Papanui on November 7.

He required surgery after severing major arteries on broken windows that he smashed during the incident.

He lost "a hell of a lot of blood", according to police officers who attended at the scene at the offices in the old Firestone Factory.

Police were called to the office at around 12.30pm on November 7 after reports of a man going "bananas" in the reception area.

CYF employees, terrified by the incident, fled through back doors from the building to phone police.

El Mehdi calmed down only when eight police officers arrived at the scene.