THIS is the horror moment as a former Tongan international rugby star wipes out an off-duty police officer at a popular nightclub.
Penikolo Latu, 32, has been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after punching off-duty police officer, Aaron Barnett, at a nightclub in Australia.
He connects with his left temple with a wild punch
Latu claimed he only acted out of self-defense, fearing for his own safety
GettyLatu will be sentenced in November but plans to appeal the decision[/caption]
CCTV footage shows that the ordeal took place in the packed out King Street Hotel just after 1.30am in March this year.
The court heard that Latu was in close proximity to the dancefloor when he was approached by a friend of the victim.
Sensing the rising tensions, Barnett stepped in to prevent things from getting out of hand.
However, he achieves the complete opposite, pushing Latu as he tries to walk away.
He then appears to try and provoke the Latu, gesturing towards him.
It clearly works as Latu responds by throwing his drink at Barnett.
He then delivers a wild punch his left temple.
Barnett instantly drops to the floor as other clubgoers look on in horror.
Realising the severity of his actions, Latu quickly flees the scene.
However, the police later arrested him, bringing him in for questioning.
As a result of the confrontation, Barnett suffered multiple injuries.
These include a fractured eye socket, a bleed to the brain and a chipped tooth, as well as significant bruising.
In an attempt to justify his actions, Latu claimed he only acted out of self-defense, fearing for his own safety.
While the court found that Latu may well have believed he was in danger, the level of violence used was not proportional to the perceived threat.
Magistrate Janine Lacy was able to come to this conclusion after a reviewing a mixture of the CCTV and bodycam footage retrieved from the responding officers.
Consequently, Latu was found guilty of the offence.
He will be sentenced in November but plans to appeal the decision.
The rugby player made his debut for Tonga in 2017 and has played 9 times since.
He most recently played for the Southland Stags – a rugby union side who play in New Zealand‘s National Provincial Championship.
Unfortunately this isn’t the first time a sportsman has been caught up in a late night altercation.
England cricketer Ben Stokes spent a night in police custody after a fight in a Bristol nightclub back in 2017.
More recently, disgraced former UFC star Conor McGregor was filmed hitting a man while on partying in Ibiza.
GettyLatu made his debut for Tonga in 2017[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
