A young man who brandished an imitation firearm after an on-road dispute has been convicted for his actions.
Wetuh Tang, 19, pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm in the Nelson District Court on Monday.
The charges stem from an incident on Sunday 14 February shortly before 2.35pm when Tang was in a car with four others driving on Tipahi St.
Tang’s lawyer Steven Zindel says Tang was giving his younger brother a driving lesson when they came into a dispute with another driver after failing to stay stopped at a stop sign.
The police summary of facts says Tang produced a replica pistol "brandishing it as a weapon".
However, Zindel says that Tang only had the replica in the car as he had been planning on selling it.
He says after a woman from the other vehicle became “mouthy” and came so close she was almost spitting in the young man’s face, Tang went to the car and took the imitation pistol out of the box tucking it into the waistband of his pants and showing it to the other parties because he wanted the woman to go away. He says Tang did not wave the gun around.
Judge Jo Rielly did not accept this explanation and says police would not have recorded the word brandishing if that is not what had happened.
“I don’t accept your explanation, you’re a young man of 19, with four other people in your motor vehicle and whilst the lady may have been having a go at you about your driving, it doesn’t in any way excuse getting a pistol that looks like a firearm,” she said.
She says she also considers that in the wider context, the woman might have “felt quite threatened”.
“As a young physically fit looking male, waving a firearm around at a member of the public is really frightening for them.”
Judge Rielly convicted Tang and ordered him to come up if called upon.
She also made an order for the destruction of two items that were retrieved including the imitation pistol.
