The Star: September 21, 2017

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Thursday September 21 2017 3
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Lawyer wins tussle in ring
• By Andrew King
A LAWYER by day and
champion boxer by night, meet
Sunny Teki-Clark.
Fresh from capturing the
under-81kg elite title at the New
Zealand Boxing Championships
last week, the 28-year-old was
then using his verbal jab to
defend people in the district
court on Monday.
“I actually didn’t have too
many bruises when I turned up
for work on Monday, which was
a good thing,” he said with a
cheeky grin yesterday.
Teki-Clark fought Tyson
Sykes, of Rotorua, for The
George Bush Memorial Trophy
– the same opponent he took on
last year and lost. This year he
won on points.
“He told me after the bout,
you were too sharp Sunny. He
has mentioned turning pro but
I would like a decider before he
does that,” he said.
Teki-Clark fights out of
Bells Boxing Club on Rose St,
Somerfield. Originally from
Wanganui, he said he spent his
high school years playing rugby,
but boxing was never far from
his mind.
“I think it was my dad who
•From page 1
Police have had an initiative
running for some time where
motorists from across the city
who don’t have a driver licence or
warrant of fitness or registration
and can’t afford to pay a fine may
not be ticketed.
Instead, police can give them
compliance, or refer them to a
programme to get a licence or an
agency to assist with employment
in order to be able to pay for a
warrant of fitness.
Inspector Hill said that was the
intent of the task, and it had been
“reworked” to reflect that.
got me into it in the first place.
He boxed down here with my
coach a long time ago when he
was stationed at the Burnham
Military Camp,” Teki-Clark
said.
Although his father, Kelly
Clark, was into the sport, his
mother, Alaina Teki-Clark,
wouldn’t let him get in the ring.
“When I moved down to
As part of a plan to reduce
Maori offending by 25 per cent by
2025, police were looking at the
ways in which Maori and people
from lower socio-economic areas
were entering the justice system.
“One of these is road policing
infringements,” said Inspector
Hill.
Often people were pulled over,
ticketed for not having a driver
licence or warrant of fitness, and
could not pay their fine. So they
had to do community service and
enter the justice system. Once
they were in there, it could be
hard to break the cycle, he said.
Christchurch for university,
I decided to get into it. Mum
couldn’t tell me what to do anymore,”
he said.
He studied law at Canterbury
University and now works for
the Public Defence Service, taking
on clients who have found
themselves on the wrong side of
the law.
Teki-Clark’s reputation has
“There’s a million dollars worth
of fines sitting in the Aranui area
that aren’t paid. They clearly can’t
afford to pay them.”
He said instead, police were
helping them into courses, such
as the Learner Driver Mentoring
or Community Driver Mentoring
programmes, which help people
BOXING SMART:
Lawyer and
champion boxer
Sunny Teki-Clark
has taken out
The George Bush
Memorial Trophy
belt.
PHOTO: MARTIN
HUNTER
done the rounds, with some of
the people he defends asking
him if he was a boxer.
“I have never had a client actually
assault me. Others have, but
I think my calm, quiet demeanour
helps. Plus I’m quite tall so
that might put them off,” he said.
•Judge harassed by old school
mate, page 7
U-turn after police told not to fine drivers
‘There’s a million dollars
worth of fines sitting in
the Aranui area that aren’t
paid. They clearly can’t
afford to pay them.’
– Inspector Tony Hill
get their licence or their vehicle
up to standard.
Inspector Hill said enforcement
was still taken for behaviour such
as speeding or drink driving.
“No one’s being let off on stuff
they certainly shouldn’t.”
In 2015, police came under
fire after it was discovered police
guidelines said not to ticket unlicensed
Maori drivers in South
Auckland, and rather refer them
onto training.
It was part of a goal to reduce
Maori offending. But Inspector
Hill said this was completely different.
In Brief
PLAYGROUND CAR PARK
People who have been parking
all day for free in the Margaret
Mahy Family Playground car
park while they go to work in
the central city will not be able
to do so for much longer. City
council staff are working on a
report to have 120min parking
restrictions put in place in the
Armagh St car park.
SAFETY SIGNS GONE
The signs around Cranford and
Westminster Sts discouraging
speeding and dangerous driving
have been removed. The city
council ordered their removal
after a four-week investigation
found they did not comply with
the District Plan. It comes after
Christchurch Central Labour
candidate Duncan Webb tried
to stop the removal by turning
one into a political hoarding.
The city council said it still did
not comply and the signs had to
be taken down.
POLICE PATROL SHIRLEY
Police foot patrols have been
increased near the Marshland
and Shirley Rds intersection
after a 15-person brawl on
September 11. The brawl ended
with one person in hospital
and six arrests. Senior Sergeant
Stephan McDaniel said the
problem will be managed by
increasing patrols at busy times.
Burger King Shirley manager
Tina Sherma said young
people loitering and anti-social
behaviour has been an an
ongoing issue for some time in
the area.
DEALER’S APPEAL FAILS
Christchurch bodybuilder
Joshua Francis Townshend
has failed in his bid to have his
two-year jail sentence for selling
potentially dangerous steroids
shortened. He was sentenced in
May after pleading guilty to 129
breaches of the Medicines Act.
He appealed to the High Court
last month, saying the sentence
was “manifestly excessive”, but
the appeal has been dismissed.
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