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Pro surfer gets 3 days for punching officer

The Australian with a rough reputation was involved in a brawl

By Jeff Mull / Special to the Star-Bulletin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 21, 2008

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Australian professional surfer Koby Abberton stood before Circuit Judge Rey Graulty yesterday and pleaded no contest to a third-degree misdemeanor assault charge for striking an off-duty harbor police officer outside a downtown restaurant on March 8.

In Kaneohe District Court, Graulty sentenced Abberton to three days in prison and six months' probation.

"I'll put my word on it that I'll never be back here again, your honor," Abberton said when given a chance to speak.

A founder of the notorious Australian surf gang "The Bra Boys," Abberton was the subject of a documentary released in the United States this year about a sensational shooting death that also involved his brother.

Following the sentence, Abberton was led out of court in handcuffs and will serve two days of his three-day sentence at Oahu Community Correctional Center, one day being credited for time served initially following the incident.

When asked whether she believed Abberton deserved a harsher sentence, Deputy Prosecutor Katrina Ordonio said, "Yes, I think he got off easy. I think he should have been given more jail time based on the facts of the case, but apparently the court thought otherwise."

Abberton initially pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing this summer, claiming a case of mistaken identity.

According to the state, harbor police officer Richard Puu -- who was not in the courtroom during the sentencing due to a family emergency -- told authorities he was trying to break up a fight between Abberton and unnamed individuals outside Restaurant Epic when Abberton attacked him.

Puu was off duty and in civilian clothes at the time.

A native of Maroubra, Australia, and a central figure in the professional surfing realm, Abberton, 30, has forged a fearsome reputation for himself through his reckless yet smooth approach to big-wave surfing as well as his role in the founding of the "The Bra Boys."

In 2004, Abberton made international headlines when he and his brother, Jai Abberton, were linked to the shooting death of fellow Australian Anthony Hines, a man with a history of violence and run-ins with the Australian police. Although Jai admitted to shooting Hines, the death was ruled an act of self-defense, and he was later acquitted.

Koby Abberton was subsequently found guilty of lying to police and hindering the course of justice; he received a nine-month suspended sentence and probation.

The documentary "Bra Boys," narrated by Russell Crowe, depicted the events surrounding the killing and the Abbertons' subsequent trial.

Australian professional surfer Koby Abberton stood before Circuit Judge Rey Graulty yesterday and pleaded no contest to a third-degree misdemeanor assault charge for striking an off-duty harbor police officer outside a downtown restaurant on March 8.

Jeff Mull / Special to the Star-Bulletin
Australian pro surfer Koby Abberton, left, appeared in Kaneohe District Court yesterday. He received a three-day sentence for brawling with an off-duty police officer outside a Honolulu restaurant. Abberton is a well-known Australian surfer renowned for his role in the Australian surf gang "The Bra Boys."

In Kaneohe District Court, Graulty sentenced Abberton to three days in prison and six months' probation.

"I'll put my word on it that I'll never be back here again, your honor," Abberton said when given a chance to speak.

A founder of the notorious Australian surf gang "The Bra Boys," Abberton was the subject of a documentary released in the United States this year about a sensational shooting death that also involved his brother.

Following the sentence, Abberton was led out of court in handcuffs and will serve two days of his three-day sentence at Oahu Community Correctional Center, one day being credited for time served initially following the incident.

When asked whether she believed Abberton deserved a harsher sentence, Deputy Prosecutor Katrina Ordonio said, "Yes, I think he got off easy. I think he should have been given more jail time based on the facts of the case, but apparently the court thought otherwise."

Abberton initially pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing this summer, claiming a case of mistaken identity.

According to the state, harbor police officer Richard Puu -- who was not in the courtroom during the sentencing due to a family emergency -- told authorities he was trying to break up a fight between Abberton and unnamed individuals outside Restaurant Epic when Abberton attacked him.

Puu was off duty and in civilian clothes at the time.

A native of Maroubra, Australia, and a central figure in the professional surfing realm, Abberton, 30, has forged a fearsome reputation for himself through his reckless yet smooth approach to big-wave surfing as well as his role in the founding of the "The Bra Boys."

In 2004, Abberton made international headlines when he and his brother, Jai Abberton, were linked to the shooting death of fellow Australian Anthony Hines, a man with a history of violence and run-ins with the Australian police. Although Jai admitted to shooting Hines, the death was ruled an act of self-defense, and he was later acquitted.

Koby Abberton was subsequently found guilty of lying to police and hindering the course of justice; he received a nine-month suspended sentence and probation.

The documentary "Bra Boys," narrated by Russell Crowe, depicted the events surrounding the killing and the Abbertons' subsequent trial.

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