Mongrel Mob member has issued apology to 'Boy' star James Rolleston after threatening video
- Publish Date
- Thursday, 5 April 2018, 12:57PM
A Tauranga man has taken responsibility for a video that shows suspected Mongrel Mob members threatening Kiwi film star James Rolleston.
Clyde Kokiri has taken to social media to apologise for the video which surfaced online and drew attention from media.
In a Facebook post, Kokiri, who claims to have been involved in the incident, apologises to Rolleston, saying his actions were "immature" and asks people to stop sending "nasty ass messages".
The video, which the Herald was made aware of overnight, shows patched gang members spotting Rolleston walking around Tauranga's waterfront.
As the Mob members beckon the Boy film star to their car, Rolleston can be seen smiling, then backing away.
"What's your name, brother?" asks someone from the car.
"James Rolleston? You wanna fight? You wanna fight then?"
The footage shows someone getting out of the car and approaching the actor.
Rolleston, 20, says, "Nah," and steps away from the vehicle while pulling his phone out of his pocket.
As the car drives off, video keeps rolling as the gang member says: "James Rolleston. P****. Your movie was shit. We just stepped out 'Boy'."
Kokiri's post on Facebook said he took full responsibility for the video, which he said was "really immature" and "stupid of me".
"Secondly I wanna apologise to James for exposing him and stepping on his pride and dignity the way I did, but I also need to accept anything I do can not change the results of this video," he posted.
"Thirdly I wanna take full account of this video and that the brothers in the footage had nothing and no intention of this, it was all me."
Kokiri asked viewers to stop sending him "nasty ass messages".
"Nothing will change the outcome no matter what you say. You can call me every name underneath the sun but you are nothing greater than a human being.
READ MORE: FOOTAGE HAS EMERGED OF MONGREL MOB MEMBERS THREATING JAMES ROLLESTON
"At this time I was going through a lot. I had lost my family and also my worth in life. I was at breaking point where I didn't really care about anything. I am only human and just like everybody else I make mistakes and this was honestly a big one.
"I am truly sorry and only sorry to James and his whanau. I would do so much to take this back if I could."
A spokesman for Rolleston confirmed to the Herald that the incident occurred in Tauranga last year.
"Though unpleasant, this was an isolated event and did not escalate any further than shown," said the spokesperson.
Rolleston had only just entered his teens when he starred in Taika Waititi's Boy, which became the biggest New Zealand film ever made upon its release in 2010.
He went on to star in acclaimed films The Dark Horse and The Dead Lands in 2014, before a serious car accident in Opotiki in 2016 derailed his career.
-NZ Herald