81-year-old 'kidnapped' by drunk teenager

An octagenarian Whangarei grandmother heading to a musical recital was forced to drive a drunk teen home - because he didn't want to breach his curfew.
In an incident which she says has stripped away her confidence, the teenager forced his way into her car as she was backing out of her driveway.
The woman, 81, delivered him to his home in the Whangarei suburb of Otangarei. 
Police said the case highlighted safety concerns for elderly people travelling alone and the incident was akin to kidnapping.
The drama began when the Tikipunga grandmother, who did not want to be named, was reversing out of her garage at 6.45pm on Friday.
She was heading for the Old Library in Rust Ave, where the Whangarei Music Society's violin and piano concert was being held, when
the teenager opened the front passenger door, hopped in and demanded to be driven to Otangarei.
"He had in his hand a bag of cask wine and he was terribly drunk but terribly worried as he was past his curfew," she said.
"He had obviously been caught before because he kept saying 'I am past my curfew, I have to go home'. I don't argue with drunks, I just handle it."
She contemplated taking him to the police station but did not want to aggravate the situation.

During the short trip the man continually offered her a drink, while patting her on her upper body.
"He kept telling me how grateful he was and telling me that he loved me.
"He held his wine in his left hand and with his right hand was patting me all over. I said 'stop that I am an 81-year-old grandmother'. He said 'oh, my grandmother is only 61'."

 She said throughout the ordeal she was not afraid and thought her years as a high school teacher had given her the experience to deal with all kinds of situations. Then after a "great" concert she drove home. 
It was only the next day she went to police and began to realise the seriousness of the incident. 
"It has made me overly careful and I used to be a confident person when going out, so it has done something to my sense of safety," she said.

Whangarei police Community Safety Officer Constable Troy Netzler said there were no right or wrong actions for people to take when confronted with a similar situation.
He said the elderly woman acted in a way she felt was best at the time - and by doing so had avoided injury.

 No charges have yet been laid in relation to the incident.