ACT: Super 12 rugby player convicted over

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2004
ACT: Super 12 rugby player convicted over

EDS: TAKES IN KEY: SMITH



By Peter Jean

CANBERRA, April 22 AAP - ACT Brumbies rugby winger Henari Veratau was today placed
on a one-year good behaviour bond for driving off with a taxi after a late-night altercation
with the driver.

Veratau, 20, pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates court to taking a vehicle without
authority. A charge of robbery was dismissed.

Magistrate Michael Somes was critical of the behaviour of the victim, taxi driver Michael
Zhang, who had demanded that Veratau pay a fare deposit.

A statement of facts tendered in court said the taxi took Veratau and a woman to the
Canberra suburb of North Lyneham in the early hours of March 5.

The rugby union player then asked to be driven to the suburb of Kingston, but Mr Zhang
demanded that he first pay a deposit of $30.

Veratau placed his credit card on the taxi's console and Mr Zhang drove on but later
stopped and demanded that he get out.

Veratau got out of the taxi and opened the driver's door, the statement of facts said.

Mr Zhang also got out, an altercation occurred and Veratau pushed Mr Zhang, who than
ran a small distance.

Veratau then drove the taxi away and abandoned it in the suburb of Florey, where it
was later found by police, still containing the credit card.

Mr Somes said while taking the taxi was not a trivial offence, Mr Zhang had behaved
in an extraordinary manner during the incident and it was perhaps inevitable an altercation
would occur.

"The conduct of the driver was highly inflammatory," Mr Somes said.

He noted that a reference from Canberra Cabs had expressed concerns about Mr Zhang's
past behaviour.

Prosecutor Adrian Robertson told the court Veratau had been convicted in the past over
a similar matter which involved alcohol.

He said Veratau could have run away from the taxi driver when the altercation occurred.

"He would, one thought, have been able to run away from a taxi driver?" he said.

Defence lawyer James Sabharwal said Veratau had given himself up to police and expressed
remorse for his actions.

Mr Somes convicted Veratau, placed him on a one-year good behaviour bond and ordered
him to pay a $1,000 surety, court costs of $53 and criminal injury compensation of $50.

But Mr Somes rejected Mr Zhang's request that Veratau be required to pay $400 to compensate
him for his loss of earnings while he could not drive his cab.

Outside court, Veratau said he was glad the matter was over.

"I just want to get back to playing football," he told reporters.

A Brumbies spokesman said now that Veratau had been dealt with by the courts, he would
face an internal conduct committee within a fortnight.

Meanwhile, Mr Somes adjourned an assault hearing against Brumbies flanker George Smith
until May 6, so Smith's lawyers could continue to make representations to the Director
of Public Prosecutions.

Smith, who was not in court today, is charged with assaulting Mitchell Jack Blencowe
outside a Canberra nightclub on March 16 last year.

AAP pj/jv/sp

KEYWORD: VERATAU NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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