The last of six people facing charges after protesters stormed a children’s event at a West Auckland libraryy has pleaded guilty – just as a jury was to be sworn-in for his trial.
Phineas Mann, 45, was due to stand trial at the Auckland District Court today on a charge of injuring with intent.
Before a jury could be empanelled however, Mann’s lawyer Todd Simmons told the court he'd had discussions with the Crown and his client would plead guilty to a lesser charge of male assaults female.
Five other defendants from the incident had also pleaded guilty in recent days. All six were seeking to be discharged without conviction, at hearings set down for early next year.
The charges stemmed from February 15 last year, when a group linked to Destiny Church and its Man Up movement went into the Te Atatū Community Centre, where drag king Hugo Grrrl was hosting a science show for children.
Around 30 children and adults were barricaded inside.
Police charged seven people with a range of assault offences. A charge against a 19-year-old woman was later withdrawn.
Protest 'crossed the line' – police
A mother has spoken to 1News of her daughter's horror at seeing her dodgeball teammate's "shoved, pushed and punched" at the Te Atatū Community Centre on Saturday. (Source: 1News)
When police announced the first arrests in March last year, Waitematā district commander Superintendent Naila Hassan said people working at and attending the venue had been “subjected to violence and intimidation”.
“There is a place for peaceful and lawful protest in this country, but this event crossed the line, and this investigation makes it very clear that this will not be tolerated,” she said.
The day after the protest, Inspector Simon Walker said the group’s actions had caused “considerable distress and concern” among children, library staff and visitors.
“Freedom of speech and the right to protest are fundamental principles of a free and democratic society under the rule of law, but nobody, especially children, should ever be made to feel unsafe,” Walker said.
A spokesperson for the Freedoms & Rights Coalition, which Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki founded, told 1News in March last year that the coalition, not Destiny Church, had organised the protest.
The spokesperson also claimed members of the rainbow community had used force first, alleging a minor in the group’s haka team had been punched in the face.
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