Kick Costs Kelt Conviction | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

 

 

Hastings millionaire Sam Kelt has been convicted and ordered to pay $130 court costs in a defended hearing lasting five hours.

The merchant banker, 47, appeared in Hastings District Court today to defend a charge of disorderly behaviour brought by police after he kicked the door of a passing car in Heretaunga St on October 19 last year.

A local security guard, one of five witnesses called by prosecution, claimed he saw Kelt standing in the middle of the road looking ``sloppy, like he was drunk''. He said he yelled at Kelt to get off the road, yet was told to ``f**ck off''.

As a silver Subaru passed, Kelt then ``launched into it,'' with a ``flying kung-fu kick''.The car was travelling at normal speed, he said.

Defence counsel Jonathan Krebs disputed his evidence. ``You're asking the court to believe that Mr Kelt, with his physical features, and acting `sloppy', delivered a kung-fu kick?'' Mr Krebs asked. ``That's ridiculous...you've just been adding to your evidence and garnishing as you go through to make it look better.''

The driver of the car gave evidence and said had been travelling at only 20km/h when unprovoked, Kelt kicked the rear door of his car. He admitted to then turning around and veering into him as he was angry.

Kelt took the stand and said he had kicked the car but only after it had changed its course and veered into him.

He denied he was drunk, and claimed he was instead exhausted after long hours spent at the office and hadn't eaten since 7am that morning.

The motorist had made up his story to justify his dangerous manoeuvre, he said. ``I'm not sure why he hasn't been charged,'' Kelt said. ``He fabricated the balance of his story to justify his own conduct.''

The kick was simply reflexive and defensive, he said. ``At that point when I was confronted with what I was confronted with - that was absolutely an instinctive
reaction.''

Justices of the Peace Alison Thomson and John Cameron said Kelt's walking down the middle of the road and the kick, both constituted disorderly behaviour. ``We do not feel he was provoked,'' Mrs Thomson said.