Jonathan Fidow has been convicted of assault and fined $300. Photo: timhester/123RF
A Taranaki rugby player who knocked out an opponent during post-match handshakes says he was "triggered" and let his emotions get the better of him after being hit and racially abused during a game at Stadium Taranaki.
Spotswood premiers player Jonathan Fidow was convicted of assault and fined $300, following a judge-alone trial at New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday.
Fidow faced a charge of injuring with intent to injure or an alternative of assault with intent to injure, but Judge Tony Greig dismissed the more serious charges.
He found that Fidow, 26, did not intend to injure his victim, Coastal player Matthew Picard, who suffered a mild concussion following the June 2024 incident.
"I don't think Mr Fidow was thinking very clearly at that moment. He did not intend to cause that injury... he intended to hit him that was all.
"There was no more thought put into it than that. A red mist reaction. It was one punch. It was on the rugby field. These things happen.
"I played from the age of 10 to 40 myself, I've taken them and I've given them.
"I know it was at the end of the game and that's what makes the difference of course. If these things happen during the game not much happens."
Fidow, who is of Pacific Islands descent, gave evidence he had been subject to race-baiting during the game, including having "monkey noises" directed at him and being called a "black c**t".
He also thought he had been hit.
Judge Greig said the question of racial abuse cut both ways in that it could be considered a serious provocation and on the other hand it was a powerful motive to get your own back at the end of the game.
He made no finding on the alleged race-baiting.
"This featured in all the cross examination. I'm not going to make a finding on whether there was or wasn't racial abuse. It was said there was by the defence witnesses. It was said there wasn't by the prosecution witnesses.
"It is not necessary for me to make a finding on that.
"But if it did happen, it was disgraceful."
Fidow said it was Picard who abused him and at the time he believed he was the Coastal player who had hit him.
"When it came to us two shaking hands and I was sort of triggered off what had happened and just slapped him. I was really upset. I just sort of reacted and let my emotions get the better of me."
Fidow was not proud of his actions.
"Definitely not. It was not the right thing to do. I just let my emotions get the better of me and retaliated in a really shit way."
Judge Greig rejected Fidow's claim that he had slapped Picard rather than punching him.
He relied on the evidence of Coastal's physio Grace Crowley who recalled hearing "a bone-breaking sound" before finding Picard on the ground momentarily unconscious.
Crowley, who treated Picard in the moments immediately after the assault, said the sound was more like an Achilles tendon snapping or a bone breaking than a slap.
When later examined at the emergency department at Taranaki Base Hospital, Dr Jennifer Lim's clinical observation was that Picard had suffered a mild concussion.
He was later sent home with Panadol and ibuprofen.
Picard also gave evidence.
He recalled an incident in the game where Fidow ran the ball at him, and he had slipped and his elbow struck the Spotswood player in the face.
Picard said immediately after the incident Fidow had said he was "going to get him back" and he felt he was "staring at him" when the players went into their post-match huddles.
"Then I went up to shake his hand and got punched."
Under cross examination, the Coastal player denied directing any racial abuse towards Fidow.
Two team-mates of Picard's gave evidence for the prosecution.
Each described how he had dropped to the ground after Fidow hit him, triggering an all-in bout of pushing and shoving.
Samuel Drought and Benjamin Kalin both described the punch as a 7/10 in terms of force.
Drought heard Fidow say "that's for what happened in the game, for playing dirty".
Under cross examination, both Drought and Kalin denied hearing any racial abuse on the field that afternoon.
Spotswood player Tutewhenua Taylor-Tupaea gave evidence for the defence.
He had heard a "little bit of racial abuse" during the game and recalled hearing "monkey noises" but did not know who from.
Taylor-Tupaea said Fidow had approached him during the match about being the subject of racial abuse.
During the handshakes, he heard what he thought was a slap and saw Picard go down on one leg clutching his head before lying on the ground.
Fidow was immediately stood down by the Spotswood club following the incident.
He was later suspended from rugby for nine weeks following a Taranaki Rugby Union disciplinary hearing where he was represented by a lawyer.
Judge Greig noted that despite the union taking a tough stance on racial abuse, the subject did not feature as part of the disciplinary hearing.
Under cross examination Taylor-Tupaea said he had not been asked to give evidence at the disciplinary hearing and this was the first time he had spoken in a public forum about the claims of racial abuse during the game.
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