Packer victim tells of beating

Enoka ‘‘Lester’’ Time, a 22-year-old semi-professional rugby league player living in Sydney but originally from Auckland, said he didn’t know Packer, 24, when the two began arguing in Martin Place in the early hours of November 29 last year. 

‘‘I only knew of him but we weren’t friends or anything like that,’’ Mr Time told the  New Zealand Herald.

Mr Time said he and two female friends had been smoking outside a nightclub, not far from a group of young men, including Packer, who had earlier been asked to leave the Chambers Hotel nightclub.

‘‘This random guy – apparently Packer’s mate – walked over and asked one of the girls for a smoke,’’ Mr Time said. ‘‘She said, ‘Nah’.

‘‘Then Packer walked over and snatched the ciggies off her ... I go: ‘What are you up to? Give the ciggies back’.

‘‘I stood up and then bang, [Packer] hit me straight away. 

‘‘I didn’t stand up to have a fight or throw any punches. I was pretty drunk that night and so was he.’’

Court documents state Packer punched the victim a number of times causing him to fall before throwing an ‘‘upper-cut’’ punch and then stomping on the victim’s face as he lay motionless on the ground.

Packer pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Monday and was sentenced to two years’ jail. His lawyers immediately lodged a severity appeal, which has been set down for February 11. 

Mr Time suffered two fractures to the side of his face, including a broken eye socket, lacerations and severe bruising, he said. 

He was left in a neck brace for two weeks. 

Mr Time posted disparaging comments on his Facebook page on Monday regarding what Packer could expect to face in jail.

He has since closed the account and said he regretted writing the status, saying it was fuelled by anger.

The post, and a belief by some that Mr Time shouldn’t have co-operated with police, have led to him receiving abuse and threats on social media.

Former Newcastle Knight Cooper Vuna, who tweeted that he was a good friend of Packer, posted ‘‘Unheard of for Pacific Islanders to press charges’’ on his account. 

But police were compelled to arrest Packer after viewing closed-circuit television footage of the incident.

Mr Time  said he felt Packer’s sentence was tough on his family.

‘‘Even though he did that to me, I honestly feel for his missus and kids,’’ Mr Time said.