Hamilton tenant ‘outraged’ after riot party

Mike Mather

One of the tenants of a Hamilton East house where a party ended in a small riot and 13 arrests says he is “outraged at the mess”.

Police were pelted with bottles when they attended the Wellington St party.

Tenant Ocean Beere said: “We, the tenants of the property are outraged at the mess on our street and property.”

He blamed a new flatmate and said they had endured broken windowns and “glass every where on the property”.

“The flatmate who threw the parties has been removed from the property and will be made to formally apologise to all neighbours and people affected by his antics.”

Beere thanked the police for shutting down the parties and “dealing with the drunken hooligans”.

Angry and sleep-deprived Wellington St residents were up early on Saturday morning, sweeping broken glass from their street – the remnants of Friday night’s alcohol-fuelled party which ended in eight arrests.

The trouble was repeated in a second night of partying, when police returned to the same house late on Saturday night, following more complaints of noise and bad behaviour, and made five more arrests.

Senior Sergeant Stephen Ambler of the Hamilton police said the police were called around midnight on Saturday after a horde of uninvited guests turned up. The unruly crowd at the house swelled to about 150 people.

“There were a lot of slightly intoxicated teenagers and young people there. Eight people were arrested and we closed [the party] down,” he said.

Ambler said some of the group moved on to Nixon Street and Cook Street, but there were no reports of trouble in those areas.

The arrests ranged from being drunk in public to minor disorder and intoxication and Ambler said the majority of those arrested were let off with a pre-charge warning.

One nearby family, who asked not to be named, said they were forced to call police about midnight on Saturday when the party moved on to the street outside their house.

“There were about 100 of them and they were just crazy and loud, fighting out in the street,” said the neighbour.

“When we called police they said there was already a squad of police out there and they would handle it.”

“There were about 10 police and they had a dog as well.

“About three or four times police had to come out and break up the crowd and move people on.”

“We didn’t get to sleep until about 2am or 3am. It feels like we have a hangover and we didn’t even drink last night.”

The family had lived on Wellington Street for about a year and said this was the second time in the last month police had been called to deal with an out-of-control party in the street.

“This happened a month ago. I’m not too sure if it was the same house, but it was definitely in the same area,” said the neighbour.

“[Police] were called out for that as well. The same thing. Young people drinking and causing chaos and throwing bottles at police.”

There were reports that a riot squad had been called but Ambler said it was just on-duty police officers and a dog handler who attended.

Another Wellington Street resident said she woke at around midnight to the sound of girls screaming in the street.

“There was a bit of a fight and it looked like the girls were trying to break it up,” she said.

“There were bottles on my lawn and in my driveway. I’m pissed off that I had to clean it.”

But if those living nearby were hoping to catch up on their sleep with an early night, those hopes were dashed with another loud and riotous party at the same house.

Ambler said while there were less people involved – “just 40 to 50 at that one” – some of those attending were causing problems for neighbours and, when the police turned up at 11pm, turned their intoxicated attention to using them as target practice for their bottles.

Five people were arrested and Hamilton City Council noise control staff also attended and seized a stereo.

Ambler said it was hoped the situation would not recur anytime soon.

“We are doing a bit of work with the occupants of that house to ensure there is not a further repeat of the problems there.”

Source: stuff

MIKE MATHER