KEY POINTS:
Rugby player Sitiveni Sivivatu has been discharged without conviction after admitting a charge of assault against his wife.
The All Black and Chiefs player had his name suppression lifted after pleading guilty.
This forum debate has now closed. Here is a selection of your views on the topic.
Mike
My wife hit me a couple of times once. She drew blood above the eye. I called the Police. When they came we were both sitting on the couch together. We both spoke to the Police separately, they instantly took sides with her and asked me to leave the house and stay somewhere else for the night - which I did. They said if another incident happens in the future they would handcuff me and take me away. Given she did a bit more than Sitivini, she should have ended up in Court. The Senior Constable in our case was a woman - so much for impartiality. I did absolutely nothing wrong and yet I was the one treated like the criminal.
Erin
What a lot of precious judgmental people kiwis are! If he wasn't an All Black it would not have even got into the papers. There are two sides to this altercation and I think he has carried the can - leave them alone to get on with their lives. Its about time the blokes starting charging their female partners with assault when it happens, which is far more prevalent that our do-gooders imagine.
Lou
I find it hard to believe this was the first time and he only hit her twice before the court became involved. Being privy to the judges notes would doubtless be most revealing. The old adage "do the crime do the time" is appropriate. All Blacks are put up as gods to the youth of the country, what one should aspire to become. Those who tarnish that image should be thrown out to confirm everybody is equal under the law.
Edward Croker
I think it is grand shame. Noone is above the law and everyone has to be treated the same. It is high time now that women's groups started taking up some concrete actions regarding their welfare. Instead of that idiodic anti-smacking Bill they should have gone for a bill to mandatory imprisonment for anyone inflicting violence on any female. The judges have obviously lost the plot. Cheers mate-they say that in politics you get what you deserve but now you can add all the rest of it.
Denise Mitchell
Today's Judges are too weak and too PC. If anyone else had of assaulted their wife/or any other person, no consideration would have been taken to their travel arrangements. Bring back the "old time Judges"
Cedric
The punishment should fit the crime, bring back public floggings ... uh er "slappings". Put him on public display so wifey can give him 6 of the best.
Sai Mylavarpu
In my opinion Sivivatu's career should not have any affect on what he has done. I am not supporting his actions but at the same time a rush of blood in the heat of the moment should not clamp his career especially when no major harm was caused to his wife and both of them reconciled amicably. A warning should serve the purpose. In my opinion he is being honest admitting his shame. If he is banned or punished in a career-affecting manner then honesty will never see the light. Again, not supporting what he has done but I personally feel that it should affect the star wingers career who is just making his name in the world rugby.
Teresa
He needs to respect his wife - being stood down from rugby for a while wouldn't hurt him.
Chuck Bird
I cannot believe the attitude of some of the do gooder know alls. I do not know what the argument was about and I doubt if any of those commenting do. If Sivivatu was convicted and his career ruined would his wife not also be been punished? As it is she is being published with all the publicity. The case may well discourage other women from calling the police. I understand she is training to be a lawyer. If she chooses criminal law and is defending a man on a similar charge that could affect her in her job. In any case not taking her wishes into account is basically saying she does not have a mind of her own. If so, is she competent to practice law? It would be nice if Sivivatu's wife issued a public statement telling the busy bodies that they do not know the facts and is not of their business and any further punishment of her husband will also punish her.
John Gardner
What punishment? Mr Siteveni has been discharged without conviction. Whether we like it or not the media and the promoters of sport elevate Rugby players onto pedestals. When they sign up for their contracts I am sure that they are required to conduct themselves in a manner that will not prejudice the "Sport" (well in fact it is no longer a sport rather more a marketable "Product"). As employees if they fail then there will be retribution. If they are to be manufactured by the spin-doctors to be wonderful people, and get paid for it, then when their feet of clay are exposed they need to be held to account. Isn't there a principle that we are all equal in the eyes of the law or was that amended after the Shipton/Rickards debacle?
Richard
To those who are wondering why the police laid charges when the wife didn't want to: once they receive a complaint they have to follow it up when it involves abuse. So you can expect the same when the smacking bill is passed. It just amazes me that people are against child abuse, yet see nothing wrong with a man hitting his wife. So it is wrong it beat a child, but right to beat a wife huh. And to those who haven't followed the story, what the wife did was in self defence.
Anthony Gibbons
Yes of course Sitiveni is a "God fearing and clean living" man. How many times have I heard that before when reading about crimes of violence committed.. Sitiveni had the best lawyer NZRFU money could buy. That I am sure of. What surprises me though is a lot of the female commentators on this blog defending him .and his discharge without conviction. Violence whether verbal or physical is not OK. The rugby culture of NZ seems not to treat violence as a serious societal issue. If they aren't urinating in bars the ABs seem to make a sport of smashing their 'missus'..a bunch of filthy grots.
Jono
Those of you who believe he should have had a heavier conviction should get a life! Yes it is inappropriate to slap your wife or hit anybody, but please keep this in context. A slap is a slap and those of you that believe he should be punished in relation to rugby are being ludicrous. I wonder how many people would expect to penalised at work for slapping someone if they worked in a retail store or down at the supermarket!
Big Al
I'm just amazed that a wife-beating sportsman has actually been named in a New Zealand court. . It's refreshing to see the weird and pointless practice of name suppression has not been applied in this case. New Zealand suppression orders do not apply anywhere else. Thus, for example, Australians are well aware of the identity of the man who allegedly tried to drag his pregnant wife along the ground by her hair. If we know his name in Australia, presumably the word has long since filtered back to Auckland. So what purpose is served by name suppression?
Christine
Leave him alone. His wife threw a couple of chairs at him. She tried to withdraw the charges. She is at Uni doing a law degree. Thats telling me she wants to be a lawyer, but it is okay to throw chairs at people in a rage of anger. Sivivatu most probably tried to stop the chairs and accidentally hit her. Now see it from another perspective and doesnt the whole situation change. Let it be and get on with life. He has been dealt with, he is being dealt with, deal to yourselves and fix your own backyards up first. No one will ever know the real situation, let him be.
Kent
If the charge and judgment was against me instead of Sivivatu, who would care less? I am sick of hearing from jealous people complaining that our sporting elite get it easy in the courts. I was once charged with a minor crime and I also got a discharge without conviction on exactly the same grounds as Sivivatu. Nobody put up a stink about that. In fact, nobody knows that it even happened. Despite popular belief, our "celebrities" usually receive a worse fate than Joe Nobody simply because everyone knows the "celebrities" and no one knows the Nobodys.
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