A 28-year-old man who was extradited from NSW to the ACT after allegedly punching a man in the face and breaking his jaw at the Summernats car festival has been granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court.
Karawera Rerekura first appeared in court over the charges two weeks ago, when he pleaded not guilty to a charge of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.
During his first court appearance, Mr Rerekura appeared in a wheelchair, with the court hearing he had hurt his ankle after jumping a fence while attempting to abscond from police.
Bail was denied in the first instance, but, on Thursday, Magistrate James Lawton granted Mr Rerekura bail, as he said he believed he met the criteria for a special or exceptional circumstance.
Mr Rerekura's defence lawyer Anastasia Qvist told the court that her client had a young family who would be significantly impacted if Mr Rerekura was kept in prison, as he was the sole income provider.
Ms Qvist also said that Mr Rerekura was facing charges in other jurisdictions and not being granted bail would prevent him from attending them.
Magistrate Lawton agreed that the combination of a requirement to provide for his young family and the requirement to attend other court proceedings amounted to a special and exceptional circumstance, which justified granting Mr Rerekura bail.
"It is that he is the sole income provider for his family," he said.
However, he did note a connection between Mr Rerekura's behaviour and alcohol consumption.
"[He] punched the complainant, apparently unprovoked", Magistrate Lawton said.
As a condition of his bail, Mr Rerekura is not allowed to consume alcohol, and must report daily to the police.
The case will return to court in May.
