A high-profile man has been set upon after appearing in court on a charge of indecently assaulting a young girl.
The man, who has interim name suppression, is accused of the indecent assault of a girl under the age of twelve.
As the man was leaving the Christchurch District Court, he was punched in the face and knocked to the ground by a man believed to have no connection to the case. He was punched twice in the face before his lawyer Jonathon Eaton managed to drag the man away.
Daniel McNally is now being held in custody on an assault charge after the judge made it clear he would not tolerate anyone dishing out their own form of justice outside the court.
Earlier, the accused quietly entered court through a back door. He's yet to enter a plea to the charge which occurred between November 2001 and November 2002.
When the man first appeared last week his name was suppressed along with any details about his occupation which could identify him. On Wednesday, the judge said this suppression will continue.
Eaton argued if his identity were revealed at this stage, there would be overwhelming consequences for his client's family. The man has been remanded on bail until next week.
The accused will have an x-ray to check if his jaw is broken.
