Self-defence in the News - No. 65

Teenage girl fights off attacker 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/10229052/Teenage-girl-fights-off-attacker 

03/07/2014

A teenager attacked in her Hawke's Bay home last night escaped with scratches and bruises after the man fled when she screamed and fought him off, police say.

The 16-year-old Napier girl had left the front door of her family home open for her parents when she arrived home around 11.30pm, as they were following her in a separate car.

The girl noticed someone come through the front door of their home on Logan Ave, Marewa, and reached for a phone when she saw it was not her parents, but a male intruder.

The man described as "part-Maori in his 30s", threw the teenager up against a wall, Detective Ross Alexander said.

She screamed and tried to fight him off, and the man fled just minutes before her parents arrived home.

The girl was shaken, and suffered scratches and bruising in the attack but was otherwise unhurt.

Nothing was taken from the house and there were no sexual overtones to the attack, Alexander said.

"We believe this may have been an opportunistic attack and is a timely reminder to everyone to keep their houses secure at night and be mindful of strangers in their neighbourhood.

"We are very keen to speak to anyone who saw a person acting suspiciously in the Logan Ave area last night. Someone may have seen this man walking along the street or perhaps in nearby streets," Alexander said.

The man was described as being of stocky build with short dark hair, and about 1.7m tall.

He was wearing a dark-coloured hoodie and pants, and fingerless gloves.

- Anyone with information about the man should contact Detective Alexander at Hawke's Bay police on 06 8310806, or information can be left anonymously on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

 - The Dominion Post