Manawatū area commander Inspector Sarah Stewart has denied allegations police were heavy-handed when breaking up a brawl in Palmerston North. Police deny using excessive force to stop a late-night street fight that left a Manawatū father needing facial surgery after he was attacked by a gang of thugs. Palmerston North man Billy Hales, 27, underwent a jaw reconstruction on Thursday after being brutally beaten by a group of men on an inner-city Palmerston North street shortly before 3am on Sunday. Potaka claimed the earlier brawl had been sparked after a female member of Hales' group had seen a man hitting a woman. Following a brief quarrel, the man left but then returned with about 10 other men.

Source: Stuff January 24, 2020 04:07 UTC