No conviction for brothers in rugby clubroom assault

Three brothers who had been charged with assaulting a rugby player after a brawl outside Pōneke’s Kilbirnie clubrooms have all escaped conviction. The three men nowhave permanent name suppression. The fight, in July 2020, left a Pōneke player with serious injuries. Yesterday, the last of the three had his case dealt with by Wellington District Court judge Bruce Davidson who discharged him without conviction on a charge of injuring with reckless disregard, and ordered him to pay emotional harmreparation of $600. The judge had made the discharge conditional on the man doing 60 hours’ community work and saving the money for reparation. The man and his brothers had been at a function at the clubrooms where two groups got into an argument inside. The judge said itwas an alcohol-fuelled altercation between the two groups.