Rodney Police investigating a nasty assault against two fishermen at Ti Point are appealing for a possible witness to make contact with them.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning (1 April) the two victims, both of Korean descent, were fishing at the Ti Point wharf in Leigh. There were two other groups fishing at the same time – two men who are believed to be the offenders, and a third man, who was fishing by himself.
One of the Korean men went back to the car to have a sleep. He was woken by a knocking on the window and recognised the man as one of the pair he had just seen fishing. He got out of the car to find the offender holding a small axe and was told to hand over his keys and wallet.
Despite handing over his property, the offender then punched him around the head and face, before attempting to steal the car, but crashing it into another parked car. The offender then got out of the car and assaulted the victim with the axe and at some point over the course of the assault the victim has lost consciousness.
During the assault the victim’s friend heard the commotion and came to his aid. He was assaulted by both the original offender, and the second offender (the man seen earlier with the first offender at the wharf). He was punched in the head and face and fell into a bush area.
The offenders left in their own vehicle, which is described as a 5-door, dark-coloured people mover, possibly a station wagon.
The second victim then realised his friend was missing and searched for him for some time, eventually finding him injured and laying on rocks some distance away.
“This was a nasty, unprovoked attack on two men who were simply enjoying a night out fishing”says Detective Constable Jackson Shewry, Rodney Police.
“The first victim received serious facial injuries, including a fractured cheek and jaw, as well as a head wound and cuts to his hands and his upper legs. He is likely to require ongoing specialist treatment for the damage to his face. The second victim had cuts and bruises to his facial area and a possible fractured hand” says Det Const Shewry.
The man who had been fishing by himself is believed to have chatted to the two offenders, but had packed up and gone when the incident occurred. Police would like to speak to this man as soon as possible.
“Before the assault as the three groups of men were fishing, the lone fisherman has been overhead speaking with one of the offenders. They discussed work and we believe the witness may have swapped numbers with one of the offenders and talked about the possibility of the offender getting a job with him. He packed up and left after this. He will be unaware of what has taken place after he left, and we are obviously very keen to identify and speak with this man to get his help” says Det Const Shewry.
The offenders are described as the following;
Offender 1
Male, Maori or Pacific Islander, approximately 175cm tall, aged between 25-35 years old.
He wore a hooded sweatshirt and ¾ length pants.
Offender 2
Male, Maori or Pacific Islander, approximately 178-180cm tall, aged in his late 30’s.
Witness (lone fisherman)
Male, Maori or Pacific Islander, tall, skinny build. He was driving a white-coloured older model station wagon, which had a rear tail light that wasn’t working. He also had a large dog with him.
“We have a number of enquiries underway and have conducted a forensic scene examination at the wharf. At this stage we’re not able to speculate about the motives for this attack, but we’re obviously very keen to catch these people as soon as possible and we ask that anyone with information gets in touch with us” says Detective Constable Shewry.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Shewry on 021 191 4085 or 09 420 9732.
Information can also be given anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Beth Bates/Waitemata Police