Bound woman escapes car gassing attempt

A bound woman used a pair of nail scissors to cut herself free and escape a man who was on the verge of gassing her.

The woman, whose name is suppressed, had been bound up with tape and left in a car to die. Her would-be-killer - Lex John Miller - was outside the car watching her death.

However, the woman performed a Houdini-like escape using a pair of nail scissors to free her hands. She then locked herself in the car and drove off with her feet still bound.

Police found Miller shortly after.

The 44-year-old told them: "You have the right man, there was no point running and where would I run to?"

Yesterday, Miller pleaded guilty in the Whakatane District Court to attempting to murder the woman on March 4 and breaching a protection order.

The court heard that Miller spent four months planning to kill the woman.

He had considered drowning or shooting her but decided he "did not like the blood and guts".

Sergeant Pete Rankin said on March 4 Miller found the woman's car in a car-park. He waited for her to finish work, and attacked her when she got to her car.

He forced her into the back of the car and taped up her hands, feet and head.

Miller drove the woman to a remote Ohope location. He had told her he had been planning her death for months.

While Miller was outside the car, the woman used her feet to remove a pair of nail scissors from the car's glovebox.

She was able to cut the tape which bound her hands, but stopped and hid the scissors when Miller came near.

"When Miller came close she hid the scissors away and sat back hard against the seat to make him think she was still bound by the tape," Mr Rankin said.

Miller attempted to poison the woman with the car's gas fumes, and got out of the car to watch her die.

However, the woman cut her hands free, locked the car to keep Miller out and drove off.

With her feet still bound she crashed the car through a wooden stock gate to escape, and drove to a relative's home in Whakatane for help.

Miller's lawyer Roger Gowing asked for a psychiatric assessment of Miller before sentencing in the Rotorua High Court on May 15.

Judge Peter Rollo remanded Miller in custody until then.

The woman's family told the Daily Post they were counting their blessings that she survived the ordeal.

"I'm not too sure how strong my belief in God was before this incident but it is certainly a lot stronger now," a family spokesman, who did not wish to be named, said.

"As a family we would also like to thank everyone who has shown their support during the past two weeks."

- DAILY POST