Waikato man left blind in one eye after vicious attack by work colleague

Tai Paekau, 53, was accosting a colleague when another colleague stepped into try and break-up the fight. He was left with a life-long injury. Photo / 123rf

A man who tried to break-up a fight between two colleagues has been left blind in one eye after the attacker sought vengeance on him instead.

Tai Paekau hit his victim so hard that he felt neck pain and would later discover a fracture in his vertebrae.

Paekau was today jailed in the Hamilton District Court for the assault on the two men in the car park of the rural trucking company that they worked for.

All three men had recently finished their trucking shift on the afternoon of December 2, last year, and the two victims were chatting when Paekau came over and started abusing the first victim, over a belief he had previously scratched his vehicle some months before.

Paekau, 53, had abused him many times before but he would always ignore it.

This time Paekau called him a “faggot”.

Believing the argument was over, the second victim got into his vehicle and began driving out of the yard.

However, he then saw Paekau walk back to his colleague who was using his driver’s file holder up to try and protect himself, as Paekau then spat in his face.

Paekau then began kicking him in the legs with his steel-cap boots.

The second victim was watching what was happening, and didn’t want his colleague to be hurt so he got out of his vehicle and approached. Paekau repeatedly told him to “f*** off”, but the victim said “no”.

Paekau then ran towards him and punched him in the left eye, twice.

The second punch dazed him and caused “severe” pain in his back at the same time, and while trying to protect himself, Paekau dealt him another blow to the same eye.

The pair then grappled on the ground and the victim again felt a more forceful hit to the eye, and he asked Paekau, “why are you punching my eye?”.

He then said, “why are we fighting, I don’t want to fight,” however Paekau continued his attack.

They were eventually broken apart by another co-worker.

Four days later, during a meeting with the company owner, Paekau apologised for “being an a***hole” and asked to be reinstated.

The victim suffered multiple injuries including a burst left eyeball, permanent loss of sight, fractured orbital bones around his eye, cuts, and stretches.

Paekau’s counsel Gerard Walsh told Judge Glen Marshall today that his client was sorry for what happened and “horrified” by his actions.

He also accepted he was going to prison but pushed for discounts relating to issues in Paekau’s Section 27 cultural report.

Judge Marshall had already indicated he would get 25 per cent for an early guilty plea and agreed to hand down a further 15 per cent for remorse and his S27 report.

However, he told Paekau he needed to get counselling for anger management, gambling, relationship, and grief due to the loss of his mother.

“I think your mother’s passing has set you off on a negative path and you need to resolve those grief issues.”

On charges of assault, two of assault with intent to injure and wounding causing grievous bodily harm, Paekau was jailed for three years.

Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and at the Herald for eight years, joining the Open Justice team in 2022.