"Fu***n joke" - Dan Hooker slams New Zealand justice system after controversial sentence given to Fau Vake's attacker

Dan Hooker (left) slammed the NZ justice system for the sentence given to his late teammate Fau Vake's (right) attacker [Right image via @fauvake on Instagram]
Dan Hooker (left) slammed the NZ justice system for the sentence given to his late teammate Fau Vake's (right) attacker [Right image via @fauvake on Instagram]

Dan Hooker and the City Kickboxing team suffered a crushing blow when they lost one of their teammates to an assault on Symonds Street in Auckland city. Young up-and-coming fighter Fau Vake was a promising prospect of the stellar gym who was attacked by four men on May 16, 2021, and eventually succumbed to his injuries on May 23.

Of the four men involved, Daniel Havili was identified as the one who delivered the fatal blow. As per the NZ Herald, Havili has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for manslaughter.

In a recent set of tweets, Dan Hooker pulled no punches as he launched an attack on the New Zealand justice system following the hearing. Hooker seems visibly frustrated at the punishment meted out to a man who was directly involved in killing an innocent person. The UFC fighter's first tweet read:

"I was in court today for an hour listening to two dusty old b**ches agree that because it only took one punch to kill my brother that it was only 'moderate' violence and that his sentence should be reduced."

Hooker revealed an astonishing fact about Havili's sentence in the next tweet:

"He qualified for home detention as well. Only because of the media attention on the case he will serve his sentence inside a cell. Had we stayed quiet, he would be at home with his family."

Mincing no words, Hooker said:

"NZ justice system is a fu**en joke"

His final tweet on the matter read as follows:

"If you kill someone with one punch you get your sentence reduced here."

It's obvious that Dan Hooker and the rest of the team at City Kickboxing, including Israel Adesanya, will be extremely disappointed and frustrated with this punishment given to the man directly responsible for their teammate's untimely passing. Not only was Vake innocent and a bright prospect of the Auckland gym, but he was also a father to a young daughter.


Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya dedicated their victories to Fau Vake

Shortly after the passing of their teammate, 'The Hangman' and 'The Last Stylebender' had fights scheduled in the UFC. The middleweight champion successfully defended his belt against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 and made sure he paid his respects to his fallen teammate.

At UFC 266, Dan Hooker went up against Nasrat Haqparast. Despite facing numerous hurdles concerning being able to train amidst New Zealand's lockdown restrictions and having difficulties securing his visa, Hooker dedicated his win to Fau Vake.

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