Fri 28 Oct 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Gay Auckland man Trevor Kaukau is making progress at a rehabilitation centre, four months after being punched into a coma outside a K' Rd nightclub after he hit on another man. Sitaleki Langi Koloamatangi, 20, will be sentenced in December after admitting punching the 40-year-old on the chin on 25 June, after Kaukau propositioned him as he was having a smoke. When Koloamatangi punched him, Kaukau fell backwards and hit his head on the pavement, where he was left unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. Kaukau suffered brain damage and spent two weeks in an induced coma and had operations to relieve pressure on his brain, including one where part of his skull was removed. He is now in a rehabilitation centre and his sister Rebecca Kaukau says he is making progress: "It’s a long and tumultuous process but we are always happy to see him taking two steps forward for every one step back," his sister Rebecca Kaukau tells GayNZ.com Daily News. Judge Roy Wade has said he will give Koloamatangi a shorter sentence for his early guilty plea and his clean record. He said his sentence would not be more than one year and he would also consider home detention and community detention. Rebecca Kaukau says while she is relieved Koloamatangi has pleaded guilty, she is also aware of the benefits for him, such as a reduced sentence which means he is unlikely to spend any time behind bars. "I am far from satisfied with the judiciary system and the way that they have dealt with my brother’s case," she says, making it clear she is speaking personally and not on behalf of her family.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily news staff
First published: Friday, 28th October 2011 - 11:52am