A church minister has been cleared of assaulting an off-duty police officer who was refereeing his son’s under-10 rugby game in a disagreement over a try.
Falefiaoali’i Fa’alolo, 50, appeared for a defended hearing in Manukau District Court after allegedly grabbing Benton Ostler by the throat on May 19 last year.
Mr Ostler was in the final minutes of refereeing a game that involved both their sons in opposing under-10 teams in a Papatoetoe Rugby Club match at Kingswood Rd Reserve when the incident unfolded.
The coach of the other team had refereed the first half of the game and Mr Ostler took over in the second half, the court was told.
In the last minutes of the game, when Mr Ostler awarded a try to his son’s team, Mr Fa’alolo walked on to the field and grabbed him by the neck, Mr Ostler told the court. Continue reading