Tracy NealOpen Justice multimedia journalist, Nelson-Marlborough·NZ Herald·30 Aug, 2026 07:00 AM5 mins to read‌Martial arts expert Hayden Barnard has been sentenced on a serious violence charge he claimed arose from him acting in self-defence, albeit "excessively", during an incident in Tasman. Photo / 123rfThe victim of a “brutal assault” by champion kickboxer Hayden Barnard says that nearly three years on, he still does not know whether he will fully recover from what happened to him.

The man, who was left with a moderate traumatic brain injury from a severe blow to the head,