Ariana Ihaka-Rimene faces Yeppoon court for Surfers Paradise incident

Police arrested a night-goer at a Queensland party precinct who can only remember waking up in a cell and thinking ‘f---, what have I done?’”

Ariana Ihaka-Rimene faced a Yeppoon court after a drunken incident at a Surfers Paradise party precinct.

A man has faced a Yeppoon court after a drunken night out at a Surfers Paradise party precinct landed him in a police watch-house cell.

Ariana Tiariki Tereina Ihaka-Rimene, 24, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on February 9 to being intoxicated in a public place.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said at 3.25am on January 15, police were patrolling the night precinct at Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise.

Sgt Ongheen said Ihaka-Rimene approached police officers and stood close to them while talking loudly to someone on his phone.

Police moved away from Ihaka-Rimene but he followed them.

“He (Ihaka-Rimene) continued swearing on his phone as he was speaking - he was warned several times to lower his voice and stop swearing,” Sgt Ongheen said.

“He appeared to not understand this direction.”

Sgt Ongheen said police again moved away from Ihaka-Rimene but he again followed them.

Officers once more asked him to stop swearing but he did not seem to understand the direction.

“He (Ihaka-Rimene) appeared highly intoxicated and he was arrested and transported to the watch-house,” Sgt Ongheen said.

The court heard that Ihaka-Rimene had a previous similar offence on his history from 2021.

A self-represented Ihaka-Rimene told Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale that he was “obviously intoxicated” on the night of his offending.

“I didn’t realise or understand my actions until - I remember waking up in a cell and thinking: ‘F---, what have I done?’”

Ms Beckinsale immediately asked Ihaka-Rimene if he had a habit of swearing to which he replied: “I usually have never been a big swearer but I’ve noticed I’ve been working with a lot of people that like to swear a bit, and I think it’s kind of rubbed off on me a little bit.”

Ms Beckinsale then said she’d hate for Ihaka-Rimene to think it was clever to swear in court.

Ihaka-Rimene apologised.

Ms Beckinsale then gave him some advice.

“Look, if there’s a problem with your drinking, now’s the time to moderate it.

“If you are waking up without a memory, it means you’ve written off brain cells - you’ve killed them in that episode.

“And you only get born with a limited number of brain cells.”

Ms Beckinsale fined Ihaka-Rimene $400 and she did not record a conviction.