Former Queanbeyan Blues forward Elijah Ngata jailed over ‘disturbing’ nightclub attack
A former Queanbeyan Blues forward drank a litre of vodka at his son’s first birthday party before attacking two men, punching one so hard he nearly died.
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A top former Canberra rugby league player turned professional boxer was celebrating his son’s first birthday when he drank a litre of vodka and punched two men at a nightclub, almost killing one.
Ilaisa-taka-i-m Ngata, also known as Elijah Ngata, will likely be deported back to New Zealand after serving three months of a 19-month jail term.
Ngata, 29, a father of four, fronted the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday where Justice David Mossop said the former Queanbeyan Blues forward came close to killing the second of his victims.
Ngata had previously pleaded guilty to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm and common assault.
Ngata drank a bottle of vodka before going to Monkey Bar in civic on May 19 last year, where he got into a “verbal argument” with his first victim, who he punched to the side of the face.
Ngata previously told the court his first victim said words to the effect of “I’ll shoot you, you black coconut”.
Ngata’s second victim stepped in and tried to de-escalate the confrontation, only for Ngata to charge at him as he said “please don’t do this”.
The single blow Ngata threw knocked the second victim unconscious and Ngata walked away.
Justice Mossop described the attack as “disturbing”.
Ngata’s second victim was on life support and was in intensive care for two days, suffering injuries including a fractured cheek bone and a broken eye socket.
He would have died if paramedics hadn’t kept his airway open on the way to hospital.
A string of character references for the former super heavyweight boxer and aspiring personal trainer included one which described him as a “man of integrity and a man of honour”.
Ngata’s boss at the security firm he works at described him as “one of the most reliable and most reputable security guards on the team”.
Justice Mossop said Ngata’s attack could only have been worse if he used weapons or pre-planned it.
Ngata is a New Zealand citizen despite having four children from two marriages in Australia, and now faces almost certain deportation after his release from jail.
A letter from a migration agent written on Ngata’s behalf said Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton — who has the power to cancel Ngata’s visa — had previously declared he had “little to no tolerance for visa holders committing serious and violent crimes.”.