KEY POINTS:
A teenager who pre-programmed the 111 emergency number onto her mobile phone helped spare herself from a serious sexual attack, police say.
The 16-year-old girl had caught a late-night train from Wellington on Saturday, and was followed by a young man when she got out at Paekakariki, the Dominion Post reported.
Senior Sergeant Alasdair MacMillan said when the girl reached the corner of Beach and Wellington roads, the man grabbed her.
As this happened, she pushed the speed dial number for 111 and when he realised what she had done he fled.
"This young woman had the foresight to pre-programme the invaluable number into her phone," Mr MacMillan said.
"It was a great thing for this young woman to do but in many cases it's just as quick for someone to dial 111 and that also over-rides the lock on all phones."
He said the girl described her attacker as being a 17- or 18-year-old European, about 1.71m tall, with facial hair and wearing a bright green sweatshirt.
- NZPA
