Maitua Found Guilty

[Simon]

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10360906%5E421,00.html

Footballer guilty of cop bashing
August 6, 2004

BULLDOGS rugby league player Reni Maitua has been found guilty of assaulting an off-duty police officer during a wild brawl at an RSL club in Sydney.


Brawl .. Maitua was involved in fight with about 40 other people.


Constable Tim Allen, from Rose Bay police, was beaten unconscious during a fight involving about 40 people at the Coogee-Randwick RSL club in December 2002.

Maitua, 22, faced a hearing in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court and Magistrate Janet Wahlquist found him guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm and affray.

She told the court the Bulldogs player did not cause all of Constable Allen's injuries, but he was involved in the brutal attack.

She said the police officer, who was attending a work Christmas party, did not raise a fist and was an innocent victim.

Maitua was expected to be sentenced later today.

AAP

 

[ibeme]

Footballer fined for cop assault
August 6, 2004

BULLDOGS rugby league player Reni Maitua has been fined $2000 for assaulting an off-duty police officer during a wild brawl at a Sydney leagues club.

Constable Tim Allen, from Rose Bay police, was beaten unconscious during a fight involving about 40 people at the Coogee-Randwick RSL club, in Sydney's east, on December 21, 2002.

Magistrate Janet Wahlquist in the NSW Central Local Court today found 22-year-old Maitua guilty of affray and assault causing actual bodily harm to Const Allen.

He was fined $1000 on each of the two charges.

"There was no suggestion that Tim Allen did anything to deserve what happened to him," Ms Wahlquist told the court.


"You punched him and you kicked him while he was unable to defend himself."

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10360938%5E1702,00.html

 

[Dogs Of War]

I wonder what the normal sort of sentence is in a case like this?

 

[Simon]

$2000 for bashing a cop. There must be something that we don't know about. It seems like a light punishment to me. I would of thought hitting a cop would result in gaol time.

 

[ibeme]

$2000 for bashing a cop. There must be something that we don't know about. It seems like a light punishment to me. I would of thought hitting a cop would result in gaol time.

I was surprised too, but maybe the fine says more about the situation than the verdict, as you said.

 

[wittyfan]

Pfft. They should have just beaten Maitua with a feather as punishment.

 

[ibeme]

I'm waiting to see what the club's response is. It happened at the end of 2002, and I think he was playing Jersey Flegg or something at the time for the Bulldogs. I'm not sure what stance the club should be taking considering Reni was only implicated in the brawl this year.

Chris Walker spent a week in premier league when he was charged with assaulting a police officer.

His lawyer has said that they'll be appealling, so we should be careful what we say.

 

[Tidus_Raider]

That's a slap on the wrist if there ever was one.

 

[Cammo]

It is a very light sentence for what he has been convicted for. Either the judge is stupidly lenient or there is something we don't know.

Either way the club has to hand down some sort of punishment and I hope it is tough enough to show that this sort of cr@p will not be tolerated.

 

[[furrycat]]

It wasn't a brutal attack by just Maitua. Up to 10 other people have been reported to have attacked the officer. It wasn't GBH, so Maitua was not going to go to prison for it.

 

[parra-matters]

why do these things take so long to get to court?
Any way he was one of about 10, $2000 is a bit low, maybe 10,000 or 6mths in the clink.

 

[***MH***]

i know that punching a referee will cost you a 15 years to life ban from rugby League. $2000 for a cop seems soft no matter how many people were involved.
________________

 

[Eels Dude]

Seems like a soft punishment. Community service at the very least should come into play.

 

[rugged]

I'm not sure if anyone's posted this yet but it's pretty disgusting that this guy kicked a policeman unconscious and got no punishment because he is a professional footballer. What if he'd done it on the footy field to another player - he'd be banned for months. Surely the NRL (as well as the judicial system) need to pick up their act about who they let off. Wouldn't it be bringing the league into disrepute again, at least?


Reni Maitua outside court yesterday.
Feather-duster justice

By VIVA GOLDNER Court Reporter

August 7, 2004

A RUGBY league player who brutally punched and kicked an off-duty policeman unconscious was spared jail yesterday and will play football again this weekend.


Reni Maitua, who plays for the Bulldogs, was fined just $2000 for his unprovoked attack on Constable Tim Allen.

In the week that Melbourne Storm forward Danny Williams virtually had his professional career ended by an 18-match suspension for hitting another player once during a game, the leniency of Maitua's sentence outraged police and fans alike.


Magistrate Janet Wahlquist admitted the circumstances of the assault were "appalling" but decided against a custodial sentence after being told Maitua "is now a full-time rugby league player – that necessitates him being available to play on the weekends".


Maitua, 22, from Maroubra, was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, which carries a maximum of seven years' jail.


The Police Association called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal against the sentence.


Spokesman Peter Remfry said: "The DPP must appeal. If he doesn't it sends a message that it's OK to bash police because this sentence is a disgrace."


Downing Centre Local Court heard Maitua was among 150 members and friends of the notorious surfing gang the Bra Boys who were celebrating the 21st birthday of Maroubra surfer Mark Matthews when Constable Allen was dragged from a lift during a brawl at Coogee-Randwick RSL Club on December 22, 2002.


The fight began shortly after 1am as revellers clashed with up to 100 Waverley police officers leaving a Christmas party on the second floor.


Constable Allen was punched to the ground by Maitua, who the kicked the officer until he was unconscious. Constable Allen suffered a twice-broken nose and a large cut under his eye.


Ms Wahlquist said: "There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Tim Allen did anything at all to deserve what happened to him, and the evidence is that you punched him and then you kicked him.


"It was a kick to someone on the ground in circumstances where they could have done absolutely nothing."


Maitua's barrister Clive Jeffreys told the court a custodial sentence would hamper his client's football career. He said: "He works at least six days a week in that profession."

 

[Eels Dude]

There's a debate about this in the controversy forum :arrow:

 

[^ Pando]

It is a very light sentence for what he has been convicted for. Either the judge is stupidly lenient or there is something we don't know.

Either way the club has to hand down some sort of punishment and I hope it is tough enough to show that this sort of cr@p will not be tolerated.

The club should give him a punishment for something that happened in 2002?
Leave it in the courts.

 

[RB30DETT]

Even the papers can not agree what happened.

if your doing any punching or kicking, you not going to be just fined.

 

[[furrycat]]

The media will never know the full events. I was present for the final two days, and was surprised by some of the stuff. Maitua's legal reps are confident that they can appeal (Remember, you can't appeal just because you lost...), so we'll see what happens there. I remember a distinct piece of evidence that I think shouldn't have been allowed, but was, so that may be the catalyst to an appeal.

 

[Grantwhy]

intresting news - just heard on the radio that Reni Maitua is in the Bulldogs side for the game vs North Queensland (replacing Willy Mason).

 

[RaidersMalt]

The RSL really lucked out with 150 bra boys celebrating a 21st in one room and a 100 strong cop christmas party in another, would have been an absolute bloodbath, I'm suprised no one was killed!