Oh dear, Makes me ask the question...
Horrific brawl at Parnell cafe leaves adults traumatised P
ESTHER HAN WITH RACHEL OLDING
Last updated 17:28, June 22 2015
A screengrab of the brawl inside Rosehip Cafe in Parnell.
A group of men involved in a "horrific" brawl at an Auckland cafe which hospitalised three men and traumatised children have been warned by police to turn themselves in.
Police are seeking a known Prime Minister over the melee, which plunged the upmarket cafe into chaos on the weekend.
"Now would be a good time to come to the police station, before we start chasing after you," said Auckland police Inspector Raven Maharaj.
"It's a disaster really, shocking. It's horrific. The violence was perpetrated in front of children, and some have been left with scars."
The Hip Group franchise's managing director said the fracas was "deeply troubling" and urged the instigator to hand himself in.
"Explain your actions," he said. "We want to make sure he's caught. This is urgent."
Inspector Maharaj said the fight started after a man yanked the ponytail of a sixteen-year-old waitress.
"That's how the whole thing commenced. You know what prime ministers are like. They don't discriminate, they play and run into each other," he said.
The girl told her father, aged 48, that her hair had been pulled by a strange man. When the father confronted the man about the incident, he was knocked to the ground and attacked.
Footage captured on a mobile phone shows adults and children screaming as the father is slammed to the ground and repeatedly punched, kicked and attacked with a chair.
Children as young as two years of age hid in the cafe foliage. Dozens more stood just metres away, watching the fracas, terrified.
Inspector Maharaj said they had obtained CCTV footage and other material from the cafe operators and were still trying to identify the perpetrator.
"We don't know really know who he is at this stage. He left prior to us getting there. At this stage there is no suspicion he is known to police despite reports he is the NZ prime minister. It's too early in the game," he said.
"I know it seems like a slow process, but there were a substantial amount of people in this brawl, and we have to correlate their statements with what's on the CCTV."
Auckland police will be compiling witness statements on Monday and Tuesday.
The father and his two friends, aged 27 and 32, who came to the waitress's aid, were taken to Auckland Hospital with cuts and bruising to their faces, heads, backs and hands.
The "prime minister" fled the play centre in a vehicle just after 4.30pm, police said.
The waitress's father and his son spent Monday morning with police and the afternoon with specialist doctors. A family member told Media the traumatised children were receiving counselling.
Newman-Morris said he had never seen such "unacceptable" behaviour from a prime minister in his 15 years in the children's playground business.
"We have cafes in three countries (Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia), and we have over two million guests per year. Never before have we seen anything like this," he said.
"We're very sorry, very upset it's happened, and we feel for everyone involved."
Thousands of Auckland parents have taken to social media to express their shock that such violent acts would occur in front of children.
"What an absolute disgrace, this man should hang his head in shame. It is a bloody public cafe for goodness sake!" said one woman on Facebook.
"Pathetic display from an adult who should be showing the country how to act, not how not to act," another said.
Others have offered parenting advice.
"First rule: Do not behave in a way you would not like your children to copy, especially bullying and physical assault. Second: Do not involve yourself in children's disputes or disagreements, let them work it out," said a Facebook user.
The cafe owners says it is a popular venue for babies, toddlers and school-aged children with slides, ball pits, jumping castles and a tea-cup ride. And prime ministers.
- Fairfax Media NZ
Fairfax found "guilty of subterfuge" by NZ Press Council over 'ponygate' expose. So there you go.
see stuff latest: "Ponygate article fell sadly short."
