An amateur New Zealand rugby player has been jailed for five months for hitting the referee who had penalised his side during a match.
The judge told Penitani Fotuaika (36), a forestry worker, who pleaded guilty to an assault charge in the Gisborne District Court, that he was jailing him because he was captain of his club and referees needed protection.
The sentence was deferred for two months to allow Fotuaika to make arrangements for his business to be looked after and to apply to serve his time under home detention.
The court was told that Fotuaika hit the referee with one powerful blow, breaking his nose and cutting his lip and eye, because he had ordered some members of his team off the field for persistent infringements. – Sapa-DPA