Relief but fear still there for woman who was mugged

VICTIM: Erin McElwain was brutally attacked.

A vicious assault left Erin McElwain injured - and constantly looking over her shoulder for fear it could happen again.

One year later, she got a call from police to say the culprit had been arrested.

But the physical and mental scars remain.

Two 16-year-old males accused of the attack on Ms McElwain, and other aggravated robberies in Manukau and Northcote, were found in Auckland this week.

Both have been referred to Youth Aid.

Ms McElwain told the Northern Advocate she was concerned about the frequency of attacks by teenagers on vulnerable people in Whangarei and their long-term effects on the victims.

The 59-year-old cafe worker had been returning home about 7.30am on last February 1 with a coffee in hand when she felt a massive shove from behind on Otaika Rd between the Maunu Rd/SH1 intersection and Tarewa Rd turnoff.

"I thought I had been run over. I landed on my face and thought I had lost all my teeth," she recalled.

Her shoulder was broken in two places and she suffered multiple cuts and bruising.

Ms McElwain did not see her attacker but she was told later the teenager stole her handbag before running across the road to a waiting car.

Her handbag contained about $600 in cash and cheques that she planned to spend on her daughter's birthday the next day, and a new cellphone.

"I've walked all my life but it was the first time something like that happened to me. Wherever I walk now, I check around to make sure no one's hiding in the bush and I am also over-protective of my twin daughters walking around.

"I had a large handbag which I've downsized to make sure if I get attacked again it's a lot tougher to get that off me easily ."

Ms McElwain said it worried her there were people who did not feel safe even walking on the street during the day.

"He's (her attacker) only 16. What life has he got? Police told me he was on a joyride and I was an easy target. It's dreadful the amount of time these sort of things are happening to people," she said.

Detective Sergeant Aaron Crawford of Whangarei police said the teenagers had allegedly broke into five cars in Wellsford before driving away in the car used during the robbery on Ms McElwain.

Stolen property was recovered at an Auckland home.