Undie 500 bottle-throwing incident costly

Throwing a glass bottle at police during this year's Undie 500 riot in Dunedin has landed a Feilding woman a criminal conviction.

Shannon Kate Botham, 20, joined several hundred drunk scarfies outside her Castle St flat chanting, "students on the piss", as riot police tried to tame the mob on September 12.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mike Toon told the Palmerston North District Court yesterday that Botham lobbed a glass bottle towards police about 11pm.

The bottle smashed on the road and she was arrested, taken to the cells and locked up for nine hours. The Otago Polytechnic design student was one of 67 people charged after the rioting.

Before the infamous Undie 500 pub crawl from Christchurch, police warned revellers that diversion would not not be an option for first-time offenders.

Defence lawyer Steve Winter said Botham was initially charged with depositing litter but this had been changed to disorderly behaviour causing violence.

Her sentencing was transferred to Palmerston North as she had moved back to her parents' Feilding home for the summer holidays, Mr Winter said.

Judge Jennifer Binns convicted and fined Botham $200 and ordered her to pay $130 court costs.

- © Fairfax NZ News