Self-defence in the News - No. 69

Woman vigorously resists attacker

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/10416704/Daylight-sex-attack-at-campus

"Daylight sex attack at campus" 

LIAM HYSLOP  

23/08/2014 

Police are investigating a violent daylight sexual attack at Waikato University this morning.

A 20-year-old woman was confronted by a man aged in his 20s at the maths and sciences block about 8.30am, before being punched and dragged into a secluded area of the university grounds, Hamilton police said.

The woman screamed and "vigorously resisted" the man throughout the attack and eventually managed to flee her attacker, police said.

The offender was described as dark skinned male about 160-170cm tall and of medium build.

He had shoulder length black hair off his face and was wearing dark trousers and shoes, and a white long-sleeve sweat top with two distinctive black lines down the full length of the sleeves.

If anyone saw a person matching this description or has any information they are asked to call the Hamilton police or Crimestoppers (0800 555 111).

- Stuff

Self-defence in the News - No. 68

Christchurch dairy owner scares off knife-wielding robber

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10412663/Pepper-spray-sends-knifeman-fleeing

"Pepper spray sends knifeman fleeing"

JOELLE DALLY

22/08/2014

Footage shows a man entering a Christchurch dairy before pointing a knife at the shopkeeper in a robbery. 

A Christchurch dairy owner scared off a knife-welding robber by threatening him with a can of pepper spray.

She also had a pool cue behind the door if she needed it.

Police have this week renewed calls for public assistance to identify the hooded perpetrator, who fled as soon as she held up the spray can.

But they warn dairy owners have few legal grounds to justify arming themselves.

Security footage of the June 23 incident at Avenues Dairy, on the corner of Worcester St and Fitzgerald Ave, shows the hooded man walk into the dairy and put a can of beer on the counter.

He requests cigarettes, and the dairy owner asks him for ID.

The man then pulled out a large knife, which Detective Hamish Beer said "has that cheese knife look about it".

The female attendant responds by grabbing a can and holding it up.

Beer would not comment on what it was, but a visit to the dairy found it was a can of pepper spray, which the small, friendly woman, still had handy, but out of a customer's reach.

She did not need to spray the offender that day. She just held it up and he ran, she said.

The dairy had been robbed only a month earlier, when two intruders, one holding a knife, threatened the female shop attendant, demanding cash and cigarettes. She called out to an associate, and they fled empty-handed.

She is not the only city dairy owner taking matters into her own hands.

In June, a Yaldhurst dairy owner wrested an air rifle off robber who demanded cash and tobacco pouches. Alexander William Edward Cottrell, 17, ran off empty-handed.

In October, another dairy owner fended off knife-welding robber Carly Denise Laughton, 27, with a chair. She was jailed in March after confessing to the robbery.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Warner said dairy owners could justify arming themselves only  if they had recently been robbed and feared it might happen again.

Otherwise, they risked prosecution for possessing a restricted or offensive weapon, he said.

Whether or not a dairy owner would face charges for fending off a robber with a weapon would be assessed on a "case by case basis", he said.

Dairy owners should instead consider security measures such as automatic doors and panic buttons, Warner said, but he conceded these came at a cost.

Offenders had little to gain for robbing dairies.

They often left with nothing or "very little", yet police and the judiciary took the offence "very seriously", Warner said.

Anyone with information on the June 23, Avenues Dairy robbery was asked to phone Detective Beer on (03) 363 7400.

- The Press

Self-defence in the News - No. 67

Woman fights off attackers

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/312811/victim-fought-attackers 

"Victim fought off attackers"

 By Hamish McNeilly 

16 Aug 2014

Joseph Lepper hides from the camera in the High Court at Dunedin while pleading guilty to a sex-related attempted abduction. Photo by ODT. 

A student who fought off two abductors on a mission to rape has made her parents ''insanely proud''.

The victim was supported by her family when her two attackers appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday.

Joseph Lepper (37), of Motueka, pleaded guilty to a charge of detaining a woman without her consent with intent to have sexual intercourse with her.

Yesterday, co-accused Zane Alexander McVeigh (18), of Kaiapoi, was sentenced to two years and eight months' imprisonment on the same charge.

On the night of October 19, the pair were in Lepper's van cruising the warehouse precinct when Lepper spotted the victim walking in dimly lit Vogel St about 9.30pm.

''I'm going to do that bitch,'' he told McVeigh.

The victim, who cannot be named, fought off the pair as they tried to bundle her into the van, which was angle-parked in front of the 22-year-old.

In her victim impact statement, the victim said she ''had an inkling'' something was wrong when the van went past and stopped.

''It was a testament to her bravery that she was able to fight you off until help arrived,'' Justice Graham Lang, who had watched CCTV footage of the attack, said.

After the offenders appeared in court, the victim told the Otago Daily Times she was pleased her attackers were off the street and they did not harm anyone else.

''It is the best outcome from a worst-case scenario.''

The victim admitted she ''did well'' to fight off the two men long enough until others came to her aid.

Her parents, who live in Christchurch, said they were ''insanely proud'' of her actions.

''And I haven't seen how kick-ass my daughter was in the [CCTV] video,'' her mother said.

''A month previous [to the incident], she was at home chopping wood and literally couldn't even physically lift up an axe.''

Earlier, the court had heard how the attack had impacted on her last year of study.

She failed an exam and struggled to return to Dunedin to visit her sister, who was studying.

She was determined to move on with her life, and had a final message to share.

''Hopefully, we can teach men in society that they shouldn't be doing this kind of thing, as it is not acceptable ... and they won't get away with it.''

Her father said the attack was not a reflection on the city, and noted both men were visitors to the city.

''I don't think it is a sad indictment on Dunedin as such - it is sad there are people like that around.''

The victim praised the ''very good'' work of Dunedin police.

Her mother said she hoped McVeigh - whose offer of restorative justice with her daughter was declined - would learn from the incident.

''For a young man, let's hope he can turn his life around.''

Self-defence in the News - No. 66

Having car door locked thwarts carjacker

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11300701

"Carjack victim turns up at police station - told to ring 111"

By Kristin Edge, Hannah Norton

Tuesday Jul 29, 2014 

The woman drove straight to Whangarei Police Station, pictured, after an attempted carjacking but says she was told to ring 111 instead.

A woman who drove straight to Whangarei police station to report an attempted carjacking is appalled she was told by a constable to ring 111 to get a police officer to attend.

Police yesterday apologised to the woman, saying the officer was inexperienced and in the wrong. It was the second attempted carjacking in the city in less than a week.

The 21-year-old Whangarei woman, who did not want to be identified, was at the front counter of the Whangarei Police Station just after 12pm on Thursday when she was offered a landline to call police but opted to go outside and use her cellphone.

Only minutes before she had been in her car and stopped on Otaika Rd waiting to turn into Tarewa Rd when a man standing on the central traffic island tried to open her driver's door.

She described him as of Maori descent, aged in his late teens, of a stocky build, and dressed in a black hoodie with a blue T-shirt or collar.

"He yanked the door and looked at me," she said.

Fortunately her car door was locked and she was able to drive away.

"I went to the police station straight away and was told it would be faster to call 111 and they could dispatch a unit."

Acting Whangarei/Kaipara Area Commander Inspector Justin Rogers said the officer who served her had less than six months in the force, and had limited front counter experience.

"This is not the preferred response from police and he should have called 111 himself on the radio.
We have spoken to the officer about the matter," Inspector Rogers said.

Following the call to 111 a patrol car was dispatched immediately but, as more than 10 minutes had passed, the man could not be located, he said.

"Police would like to remind people that if a crime is in progress they should call 111 immediately. If you are in a car, you can call 111 from your cellphone."

The woman said she chose to go into the station rather than ring 111 as she was only three intersections away and was distressed after the incident and wasn't thinking completely clearly.

"They should have seen that I was distressed. I would have expected a better result," she said.

Meanwhile, police are investigating an incident at the BP Wylies Service Station on Maunu Rd last Monday where a man tried to get into a car parked on the forecourt.

A woman, who was in the passenger seat of the car, said while the driver had gone to pay for fuel a man came into the car and began searching for the keys in the ignition.

Police had not received a complaint regarding this incident, but due to the serious nature of the allegation contacted the service station and viewed the CCTV footage.

The footage shows a man in a hooded red jacket opening the door, reaching in and then taking off.

Anyone with information can contact Whangarei Police on 09 430 4500.

The Northern Advocate

Kung Fu Archive

I made these 20 photographs in May 2002 at Earle's Academy. The camera I used was my old Nikon FG 35mm manual focus SLR, with a standard 50mm lens. Thank you to my regular training partners of the time for allowing me to photograph them in the kwoon: Jacim T., Trevor J., Sean J., Ben G., and Chris M., all skilled wing chun men. And thanks also to Kevin.

Left to right: Ben, me (self-portrait), and Trevor. 

Ben (left) and Jacim. 

Chris. 

Jacim. 

Chris.

 Jacim. 

Jacim. 

Jacim (signing in). 

Jacim (left) and Ben. 

Jacim (fook sau) and Trevor.

Maria. 

Sean. 

Left to right: Sean and Chris. 

Left to right: Maria and Sean. 

Foreground: Sean and Maria. Background: Trevor and Jacim. 

Left to right: Sean and Trevor. 

Trevor. 

Trevor. 

Left to right: Trevor and Jacim. 

Foreground: Trevor (left) and Sean. 

Background: me making the photograph, reflected in the mirror.

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

Fighting-staff training yesterday

Anthony & Chris - 1

Anthony & Chris - 2

Anthony & Chris - 3

Photographs by Casey

Self-defence in the News - No. 64

Shop owner wrestles gunman 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10187535/Shop-owner-wrestles-gunman 

BLAIR ENSOR

22/06/2014 

A dairy owner bravely wrestled a gun from a masked man who walked into his store and demanded cash and cigarettes.  

Police are looking for the would-be robber who fled empty-handed from Yaldhurst Discount Dairy, on Yaldhurst Rd, Christchurch, about 6.35pm, yesterday.

An air rifle was left at the scene. 

Detective Sergeant Hamish Wilson said the dairy owner initially complied with the gun-toting man's demands but took matters into his own hands when he realised it was not a high-powered rifle.

"When the robber has pointed the firearm over the counter the [owner] grabbed the barrel and wrestled it off him," Wilson said.

"Whilst the dairy owner was lucky on this occasion to escape without injury we would recommend that anyone in that situation comply with the demands of the robber and contact police as soon as possible."  

The alleged robber was described as a European, of medium build, 1.8m tall and wearing a grey jacket over the top of a black hoodie. His face was covered with a black cloth.

Anyone with information is asked to call Christchurch police on 03 363 7400 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

- The Press

Today's class

Class today, Monday 26th, is cancelled.



See you Wednesday.

Self-defence in the News - No. 63

Woman hits attacker with saucepan

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/23780381/stalker-hit-with-saucepan-charged/

Stalker hit with saucepan, charged

May 23, 2014

A Sydney man has been charged over an assault in which he was repeatedly hit over the head with a saucepan by the woman he followed home.

Police say the 23-year-old followed a woman to her unit block in McMahons Point, on the city's north shore, on April 9 and grabbed her from behind.

But he ran off when his victim smacked him several times with a large pan she was carrying.

Police have linked the man to two other incidents earlier the same day, with one woman allegedly followed from Milsons Point Railway Station and another from the street into a building in North Sydney.

Police arrested the man at a home in Oxley Park, in Sydney's west, on Friday and later charged him with three counts of stalking. He was also charged with assault with intent to rob and trespass.

He was refused bail and is expected to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.