Knights to see Packer victim By DONNA PAGE and SAM RIGNEY Jan. 15, 2014, 10:23 p.m.
CRITICISM: Knights boss Matt Gidley has agreed to meet Enoka Time.
KNIGHTS chief executive Matt Gidley has agreed to meet the man bashed unconscious by Russell Packer.
This came after criticism that the club had shown little regard for the victim.
Enoka "Lester" Time revealed yesterday that he had contacted the Knights this week to express his disappointment at the club's handling of the matter.
The Knights claimed last night that Mr Time had requested "financial assistance" and said he would approach the media about their response.
Mr Time disputed this.
He said he was only after some acknowledgment and an apology and had not demanded money.
"All I said was I was after some acknowledgment for the victim, whether that was financial or otherwise," he said.
"I didn't demand money, I didn't bribe them or anything along those lines."
Mr Time, who was punched in the face by Packer and had his head stomped on while he lay motionless on the ground, said there appeared to be little thought for what he had been through.
"All I've seen in the media is they [the Knights] looked like they were trying to defend him [Packer]," he said.
"As an NRL club they are very heavily involved in the community . . . I was a little saddened that they did not acknowledge me in some kind of form . . . acknowledge me as a victim."
The Knights claim they tried to contact Mr Time after the incident in November, but were advised against it due to the pending legal proceedings.
This week Mr Gidley admitted the club had not reached out to Mr Time.
Packer pleaded guilty to the attack, which was caught on CCTV footage, and was sentenced in the Downing Centre Local Court last week to two years' jail.
Magistrate Greg Grogin described Packer's actions as cowardly and deplorable.
At the time Knights football general manager Warren Smiles said the club would stand by Packer and his family.
But on Monday, after a wave of outrage from fans and the media, the Knights stated that they had always intended to sack the Warriors recruit.
Mr Time, a semi-professional rugby league player from Auckland who lives in Sydney, said he knew at the time of the attack who Packer was.
He said the assault, which followed an argument over cigarettes, still "affected" his life and had changed the way he views "going out".
"I think about being put in a position where it could happen again," he said.
"I feel more vulnerable now."
Mr Time said he suffered two fractures to the side of his face, including a broken eye socket, lacerations and severe bruising.
And he was being tested for hearing loss.
The 22-year-old said he did not pursue charges, the police did. And he felt for Packer's family.
He said it was important the Knights acknowledged there was a victim in the case, and that was why he contacted Mr Gidley directly.
"I was very thankful I was able to walk away from that with a few fractures," he said.
"I'm happy to leave it behind and move on.
"I can't hold a grudge and keep thinking about it all the time."
Packer's appeal against his sentence will be heard on February 11.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2026268/knights-to-see-packer-victim/?cs=305
