'That's what you get for being white'

File photo / NZ Herald

A woman who joined in an attack on strangers in the street and yelled "that's what you get for being white" has been sentenced to community work.

Kellie-Sierra Ramari Moses was on Drews Ave with a group of friends when one member of her group began assaulting another person. Moses began attacking that person's friend, the Whanganui District Court was told.

Defence lawyer Stephanie Burlace said the victim's group of friends had been "taunting" Moses' group. She said Moses didn't initially engage in the fight.

"Then the other person, her cousin I think it was, had been unsurprisingly arrested by police," she said.

While the cousin was lying handcuffed on the ground and the police officer's back was turned, Moses' victim came up and kicked him in the head, she said.

"That's when she jumped in and took matters into her own hands ... so there is some context to it."

Following the assault, Moses turned her attention to the first victim and began yelling "that's what you get for being white," repeatedly, police prosecutor Sergeant Rachel Willemsen said.

Ms Burlace said her client denied saying the words, and thought it might have been someone else in the group.

Moses struggled while police arrested her and prompted three friends to try and intervene with her arrest.

Ms Willemsen said the groups were strangers to each other and the attack was "completely random".

It is the 28-year-old woman's first assault offence. She is a student and has four children aged between 9 months and 8 years.

She earlier pleaded guilty to common assault and disorderly behaviour.

"The court doesn't put up with street violence at this level," Judge David Cameron told her, calling the offending "totally unacceptable".

He sentenced her to 140 hours of community work.