League: Latu sentenced to jail for assault

SYDNEY - Former New Zealand Warriors league player Tevita Latu was today given eight months periodic detention for a punch that fractured a 19-year-old woman's nose.

Auckland-born Latu, 24, appeared in Sutherland Local Court on a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm to Brooke Peninton at a Cronulla service station in the early hours of May 22.

Magistrate Ross Clugston handed down the sentence, saying the assault charge carried a maximum penalty of A$5500, ($6600) or a two-year prison term.

He ordered Latu, who pleaded guilty to the charge, to serve eight months' periodic detention at the Metropolitan Periodic Detention Centre, beginning on June 21.

He further ordered that Latu not be eligible for parole for six months and ordered Latu to pay A$65 court costs.

The Sydney Morning Herald website reported Latu was "visibly shocked" when told of his sentence.

Latu's legal team, which had the case brought forward a week ahead of schedule, said it was lodging an immediate appeal against the sentence, the website reported.

Latu's lawyer, Jim Barnett, said his client, who joined the Cronulla Sharks this year after three years at the Warriors, hoped to return to New Zealand this weekend to attend his daughter's first birthday.

Barnett had argued that Latu, who has no professional nor work qualifications other than his career as a professional league player, be given a good behaviour bond or fine as a first offender.

The court heard that, early on Monday, May 22, Latu had gone to a BP service station in Cronulla, with some friends after attending a nightclub.

Ms Peninton had also been at the nightclub with a group of friends and had travelled to the service station.

Latu had been eating a bag of chips and was talking to a girlfriend of Ms Peninton who was sitting in a car, when Ms Peninton approached Latu and tried to engage him in a conversation.

A statement of police facts read to the court said that, when Latu ignored her, she said to him: "Well I was just trying to introduce myself ... I am not a groupie."

Latu continued to ignore her and threw a chip at her and then more chips into her friend's vehicle.

Ms Peninton had berated him for throwing chips into the vehicle, saying "you are just being a little shit".

Clugston said that, according to the police evidence, Ms Peninton tried to remove the bag of chips from Latu's hands and in doing so, came into contact with his face.

Latu then punched her in the face, causing her to fall onto her back and hit her head against a brick wall.

Clugston said Ms Peninton lost two false fingernails and suffered a fractured nose as a result of the blow.

Barnett said Latu had written a letter of apology to Ms Peninton, had suffered the loss of his two-year contract with the Sharks and had been deregistered indefinitely from playing in the NRL.

Barnett said Latu was also undergoing drug and alcohol counselling and seeing the club chaplain.

Clugston described the assault as a "gross error".

"But nonetheless, the victim suffered a broken nose, which is a significant injury"

Cronulla Sharks football manager Greg Pierce accompanied Latu to the court "to give him some support".

"I am not what sure what his de-registration means, whether he can play in New Zealand or England," Pierce told reporters.

"He's a pretty placid bloke, he has got a daughter, he just wants to get it over with and be done."

The New Zealand Rugby League hasn't shut the door on Latu, saying last month he would be allowed to play for New Zealand clubs even if he was convicted.

- NZPA