A man was beaten in front of his partner and sons sparked by an incident of road rage in Waimarama four days earlier. Photo / NZME
A man was beaten in front of his partner and sons sparked by an incident of road rage in Waimarama four days earlier. Photo / NZME
A judge has found three brothers not guilty on a charge of unlawful assembly relating to a Hawke's Bay confrontation which led to 18 arrests.
The arrests followed an incident near Waimarama on December 2, 2019. A man was beaten in front of his partner and sons sparked by anincident of road rage four days earlier.
Of the 18, 10 pleaded guilty, one had a charge dismissed, and four others await further court proceedings in Napier District Court.
Found not guilty are brothers Zario Hura, 30, Jared Hura, 23, and Shellicoe Hokianga-Hura, 22, who denied a charge of unlawful assembly when they appeared before Judge Gordon Matenga in a judge-alone trial last month, Stuff reported.
It was alleged the three were among 18 people who arrived at the victim's home, that several dragged a man outside, and that the man was assaulted as others stood around preventing members of the man's family from going to his aid.
Injuries included a fracture of the skull, burst eardrum, a skull laceration of up to 10cm, and traumatic brain injury.
The first arrests were made as police intercepted the vehicles heading towards Hastings.
The three in the trial admitted to police they had gone to Waimarama, but claimed they were not aware of the purpose of the trip and had not taken part in what happened, Stuff reported.
