Chea Hemara grabbed one of his ex-partners so hard it left bruise marks on her arm and punched another in the face, the Whanganui District Court has heard.
Chea Hemara grabbed one of his ex-partners so hard it left bruise marks on her arm and punched another in the face, the Whanganui District Court has heard.
A repeat violent offender’s claims he had matured and changed his outlook on life in the last two years were questioned by a judge as he sentenced him on a raft of charges including violence, drugs and breaching court orders.
Chea Paratene Charles Brattle-Hemara Haeana, who uses the surname Hemara, appeared before Judge Jonathan Krebs in the Whanganui District Court on Wednesday.
Hemara had earlier either pleaded guilty or was found guilty of two charges each of assaulting a person in a family relationship, breaching his release conditions, breaching protection orders, and one charge each of possessing a methamphetamine pipe, receiving stolen property, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, failing to remain stopped and failing to stop and ascertain injury after a crash.
Much of Hemara’s offending was committed while he was on bail or subject to release from prison conditions.
Defence lawyer Margaret Overton said the focus of the sentence needed to be Hemara’s rehabilitation.
“That is, of course, key for him to have any hope of finally leaving the justice system,” Overton said.
Hemara, who brutally bashed a former partner in front of their children in 2020 five days after a charge of being an accessory to murder was dismissed, assaulted two of his ex-partners in 2022.
One of the incidents in January involved Hemara grabbing the woman’s arm so hard it left bruise marks, while in the second in April, he punched the victim in the face so hard she fell to the ground.
Overton said Hemara understood no family violence was acceptable and she described the second incident as a one-off, with no continued assault and no weapon involved.
She submitted the 33-year-old was too young to give up on and he wanted to engage in the rehabilitation process, something he claimed to have never received before.
“He doesn’t even know what rehab looks like.
“He wants to become a working and contributing member of society.”
The father of five was not just doing the talking, but was starting to turn things around, she said.
Judge Krebs thanked Overton for her oral submissions, describing them as helpful, and asked her whether Hemara accepted responsibility for both assaults on the females for which he was found guilty after judge-alone trials.
“He accepts your findings that the charges are proven,” she replied.
Judge Krebs said he was concerned about the lack of remorse detailed in a probation report, but noted the author who prepared a cultural report on Hemara referred to it at some length.
Overton said the probation report was prepared after a telephone interview when it required a face-to-face environment, and claimed the writer got off to a bad start.
However, when questioned by the judge about what she meant, Overton replied, “Who knows sir, it’s a telephone call”.
Chea Hemara was caught with a meth pipe after fleeing police in a stolen car he later slammed into a fence and another car.
Overton acknowledged cultural reports were not the most balanced and said they were usually used for defence purposes.
Judge Krebs agreed there was a widespread problem with the S27 reports.
“They do tend to be a little emotive.”
He told Hemara getting too old to behave the way he was and he hadn’t really helped himself.
Judge Krebs then asked him what one thing he would change was, and Hemara replied who he hung out with, and said he would look to associate with more positive influences.
It was noted Hemara’s offending included breaching his release conditions six days after being let out of jail.
Hemara was driving a stolen car valued at $6000 when he fled police reaching speeds of 130km/h in an 80km/h zone before pursuing officers abandoned the chase.
He later crashed the car into a fence and another car, but again fled the scene.
When police finally caught up with Hemara, he was found in possession of a methamphetamine pipe.
Judge Krebs said while the probation report detailed Hemara didn’t appear to show remorse, he accepted he was genuine after talking with him at the hearing and noted he wished to reconnect with his children.
While Hemara denied drugs and alcohol were an issue, the judge noted meth seemed to be involved.
He had been exposed to anti-social behaviour during his formative years, with his father having connections with both the Head Hunters and Nomad gangs.
Judge Krebs acknowledged Hemara spoke fluent te reo Māori and was passionate about his iwi and marae.
He sentenced Hemara to 20 months’ imprisonment, disqualified him from driving for 12 months and ordered him to pay a total of $2315.27 in reparation for the car and fence he hit.
A protection order sought by one of Hemara’s ex-partners was granted and the meth pipe was to be destroyed.
In his final words to Hemara, Judge Krebs said he wished he could judicially monitor him to make sure he was walking the talk and had not just been bluffing him.
