Anonymous tipster urged to call back

Mary Loader was put in an induced coma after the attack. Photo / Tauranga Police

Police need an anonymous caller to phone again to clarify "vital information" he gave on who smashed a grandmother's face by throwing a beer bottle from a car earlier this week.

Mary Loader, 65, remains in intensive care at Tauranga Hospital after she was smashed by the glass bottle in Papamoa just past 8am Sunday, cracking bones in her face and knocking her down.

She underwent reconstructive surgery and has had five metal plates inserted into her face.

The bottle is understood to have been three-quarters full when flung from just a couple of metres from Mrs Loader as a light-coloured four-door car with four men inside drove past on Domain Rd.

An anonymous caller contacted Tauranga Hospital leaving information about potential suspects in the assault, said Detective Sergeant Darryl Brazier, of Tauranga.

"We are very pleased that someone had enough of a conscience to try and help with this case, but we urgently need to clarify some of the information that person left," says Detective Sergeant Brazier.

"We are appealing for that person to contact us again and, if they wish, any information supplied can be treated with total confidence."

Detective Sergeant Brazier says he is asking the caller - or anyone else who may have information - to contact him directly through 07 577 4300, or on his cellphone, 027 494 5251.

"I would also like to appeal for the person who actually threw the bottle to come forward. By now they are probably aware of the terrible damage they have caused, and by coming forward now, they will go some way towards putting it right."

Police have also recovered the bottle that struck Mrs Loader, and are confident they will find traces of the offender's DNA after forensic examinations.