Family's call for calm is welcome

You have to hand it to the family of Martinborough assault victim Peter Fisher.

They've been steadfastly standing by their son, partner, brother as he recovers in hospital from a brutal beating received in Martinborough.

Calling themselves the 'tight five', family members have ensured someone is always at his side, with support and help from his mates and fellow volunteer firefighters.

But while you could expect them to have some bitterness towards the person who delivered such a vicious beating - Mr Fisher underwent facial reconstruction surgery this week - instead they've had a message of calm and reason.

Peter Fisher's father spoke out last week about threats of violence that had been made against the man alleged to have assaulted his son.

Brian Fisher said the family didn't want any more violence, and urged the community to let the courts do their job.

It was no surprise to hear that threats had been made against the alleged offender - there were abusive messages posted on our website as well.

I've had to remove some nasty, offensive messages from the website in the past, but these were particularly vile.

Peter Fisher was someone who did a lot of good in the community as a volunteer firefighter, and he was assaulted when going to the aid of a group of young people.

He seems an unlikely person to want violent retribution taken against the person who attacked him.

It would surely be a better way to show support for him and his family by providing practical help, and joining some of the fundraising efforts already launched to provide them with some assistance. And when those who would have the most reason to be angry are pleading for calm, it seems others could take learn a lot from them.