Sucker punches
The Herald reports:
The victim of a “sucker punch” has spoken of the life-changing impact the assault had on his life and how the actions of a National MP may have saved his life – and helped bring his attacker to justice.
That National MP – Northland’s Matt King – has now put a proposed law into the ballot to change the judicial approach to such devastating attacks.
Derek Tanner, 38, was enjoying a rare night out at a Far North vineyard when he was punched from behind with no warning.
King saw the attack happen, acted instantly to administer first aid and then prepared to give evidence as a key prosecution witness in the trial.
Jaydin Locke defiantly pleaded not guilty – a stance he changed just as the trial was about to begin last Thursday. At the last minute, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of wounding with reckless disregard.
King, who was the sober driver, was there with his wife Sarah and friends and happened to be looking in Tanner’s direction when the attack happened.
He saw Jaydin Locke – identified later – emerge from the crowd at speed and line up Tanner.
“He walked over and sucker-punched this guy – knocked him out on his feet. It was a real vicious punch and he hit the ground with a thump. I was 10 metres away and I felt it through the ground.
“It was violent, it was vicious and it was bad. And I knew it was bad instantly when I saw him crumple to the ground.”
Locke disappeared into the crowd as King moved fast towards Tanner, who was unconscious before he hit the ground and had tumbled head-first down a slope. King put Tanner into the recovery position, called for an ambulance and checked his vital signs.
The blow was so severe – and the fall to the ground so solid – that it was 10 minutes before he showed any sign of regaining consciousness.
Good on King for acting so quickly.
Tanner was discharged then readmitted to hospital in Whangarei where a CAT scan revealed massive damage to his head.
The punch had shattered his eye socket, sending splinters of bone through his sinuses and beyond.
Doctors believed it was the fall to the ground which caused the skull fracture.
“I’m lucky it wasn’t concrete or I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”The year since the assault has seen repeated surgery to correct the damage – titanium gauze and a plate used to reconstruct the eye socket. He had double-vision for two months until surgery corrected it, with the warning he could wake blind in one eye.
There has also been ongoing physiotherapy to try and repair compacted bones in his neck and shoulder.
Awful.
Since coming to Parliament in September after knocking NZ First leader Winston Peters out of Northland, the new MP has picked up on work done last term by National MPs and drafted a private members bill to amend the Crimes Act in relation to “coward’s punch”-style attacks ending in death.
The bill – which gets drawn by lucky dip – would introduce a new charge to the Crimes Act of assault causing death, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The current likely charge of manslaughter is a life sentence and King was hopeful it would provide an alternative charge that would encourage guilty pleas, while still carrying a hefty sentence.
Seems a good law change. You need something between assault/wounding and manslaughter.