A Queenstown community guide who was beaten twice in separate drunken assaults in the CBD while doing his job says he is pleased his attackers have been convicted.
"It was good to see that the judge took the incident seriously," Alex Taylor said yesterday.
On Monday in the Queenstown District Court, Mr Taylor's first attacker, Joshua James Kelly (21), painter, of Dunedin, was sentenced to six months' community detention, 250 hours community work and more than $1600 in reparation on one count of injuring with intent to injure, following a November 21 attack, in which Kelly repeatedly punched and then kicked Mr Taylor in the back as he lay on the ground in central Queenstown.
Mr Taylor suffered a broken nose, eye socket and hairline vertebrae fracture and required treatment at Southland Hospital.
As a result of the attack, Mr Taylor suffered financial hardship and loss of confidence.
His second attacker, Kaleb Jeremy Hunter (30), maintenance worker, of Queenstown, was jailed for six months on a number of charges including assaulting Mr Taylor in Marine Pde on January 22.
Hunter, who was drunk, approached a group of Brazilians and asked them for a beer.
When they refused, he became threatening and abusive.
When Mr Taylor intervened, Hunter, carrying a Swiss army knife, threatened to stab him and then punched him in the mouth before trying to throw another punch.
Although he was satisfied with the sentencing, Mr Taylor said he felt it was "time to move on now and leave this behind us".
