New Zealand policeman to escort man who squeezed his genitals back home to Ireland

An Irishman who did not disclose convictions in his homeland and managed to obtain a working visa in New Zealand will be immediately deported when he finishes a nine-month jail sentence imposed in the Invercargill District Court. Judge Kevin Phillips said jail, followed by deportation, was the only appropriate sentence for Anthony Joseph Twomey, a concrete worker, who had admitted "outlandish behaviour" - assaulting four people in a Queenstown bar early on October 13 while intoxicated.

Twomey began to cry in the dock as the sentencing progressed. He had earlier pleaded guilty to assaulting Jacob Hoggard with a weapon (a pool cue), assaulting Cain Mann with a weapon (a glass), assaulting Sergeant Mark Gill, and assaulting bar doorman Paul Moynihan at the Buffalo Club. Twomey and two friends were playing pool when a scuffle broke out between one of his friends and Mr Hoggard.



One of the friends grabbed Mr Hoggard and held him against the wall while Twomey picked up a pool cue and swung it at him, hitting him on the arm. One end of the cue hit an empty glass, causing it to fly across the bar and hit Mr Mann in the face. He received a 2cm cut below his eye, requiring a night in hospital and time off work. After the pool cue incident, Twomey was restrained and taken outside, during which time he attempted to strangle Mr Moynihan. After being arrested, Twomey was belligerent and aggressive and at one point grabbed Sgt Gill by the genitals and squeezed.

Defence counsel Mike Newell said Mr Mann was the only person injured in the incident. However, Judge Phillips said he "wouldn't agree with that". "I don't know if Sgt Gill has children, but I would have thought what happened to him would at the least have been a most unpleasant and painful event." Mr Newell said he understood Sgt Gill was one of the officers who would escort Twomey back to Ireland. "That will be an interesting 14-hour flight," Judge Phillips replied. "I hope he keeps his hands to himself."