Former policeman and two-time candidate for the Napier City Council, Stuart McLachlan, 68, stood before a Hasting District Court judge earlier this week. He was charged with assaulting a lotto shop worker who tried to stop him from walking out without paying the $1.30 he owed for his lotto ticket.
A police officer stated McLachlan pushed the shop worker and used abusive behavior when she tried to get the ticket back. The lotto shop employee confirmed this, "He was angry, really, really angry," she told the court. "When he was swearing at me spit was coming out of his mouth, I had to wipe my glasses off afterwards. All I could think about was not falling on the ground because I didn't want him to put the boot in."
A witness to the attack said in her testimony, "He was clearly drunk. Angry. Violent. He was stumbling back and forth." The witness believed McLachlan may have pushed his victim up to 30 times.
McLachlan's lawyer stated his client was only trying to get to the New World supermarket to get the money for the ticket. The shop worker argued this was untrue, testifying that her attacker told her he knew the shop owner and could get credit.
The confrontation came to an end when McLachlan returned the ticket by shoving it into the shop worker's bra.
McLachlan claimed he didn't want to return the ticket before going to the supermarket because he feared the ticket may be cancelled and he could "miss out on millions".
