Judge Tony Snell found the consequences of a conviction were not out of proportion to the gravity of the offending.<\/p>\n
However, he was convinced that had the young men been sober they would have walked away. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you hadn\u2019t been drunk, you wouldn\u2019t have done this. The two of you, somehow, have backed each other up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m sure you will regret,\u201d Judge Snell said.<\/p>\n
Butler\u2019s cousin and co-offender, Yozarn Peeni, who was also 18 at the time, was earlier sentenced to 100 hours\u2019 community work, four months of community detention and a year\u2019s supervision on two charges of assault with intent to injure<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was also ordered to pay reparation for his part in the events early on December 28, 2025.<\/p>\n Butler and Peeni had been at a central Nelson<\/a> bar at the same time as the man they attacked, who was with a friend.<\/p>\n Butler later told police the victim had bumped into his partner in town, he got between them, the victim pushed him, so he pushed him back and the victim then grabbed his partner by the hair.<\/p>\n The police summary of facts said the group was separated and ordered out of the bar, then about 2am made their way separately to McDonald\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n After a brief exchange, Peeni grabbed the victim\u2019s neck with two hands and pushed him backwards. <\/p>\n The victim, who was making a \u201cchoking noise\u201d, tried pushing him away but couldn\u2019t until he punched and kneed Peeni, causing him to let go.<\/p>\n The victim backed off but Peeni followed, verbally goading him into a fight before security intervened.<\/p>\n The victim\u2019s friend tried to calm the situation but was grabbed and threatened.<\/p>\n Eight-minute beating<\/p>\n Peeni then threw a punch at the victim, beginning an eight-minute beating security was unable to stop, police said.<\/p>\n Butler kicked the victim eight times while he was on the ground and unable to defend himself. The onslaught stopped when the victim\u2019s friend pulled him away.<\/p>\n Butler walked away briefly but returned and punched the victim twice in the head while he was defenceless on the ground, police said.<\/p>\n As Peeni and Butler stood over him, Butler punched the victim in the head again while Peeni attacked the victim\u2019s head and face.<\/p>\n Security was finally able to break up the fight. Police<\/a> said the victim\u2019s injuries were such that he was unable to provide basic details of what happened and could not walk without assistance.<\/p>\n He was later found to have concussion, a broken nose, swollen head and face, cuts and abrasions to his elbow and knee and general soreness to his head and body.<\/p>\n \u2018Two men out for revenge\u2019<\/p>\n Judge Snell disagreed with Butler\u2019s claim in a pre-sentence report he did not think alcohol had played a part in his offending.<\/p>\n He said what triggered the events might have made him angry but did not justify the violence. Butler\u2019s claim he was \u201cacting in self defence\u201d for his cousin did not tally with what occurred.<\/p>\n