Driveway victim hit with own sword

Police guard driveway of the house where a man was attacked. He is still in Auckland Hospital recovering from his injuries. Picture /Alan Gibson

A man who bailed up three people in his driveway as they allegedly loaded property into a car was struck with a samurai sword from his house.

Hit several times on the back of the head, the 48-year-old suffered serious head injuries and his left ear was partially ripped off in the attack, which police described as "particularly vicious".

Three people appeared before community magistrate Heather White in Tauranga District Court yesterday in relation to the home invasion.

Douglas John Paora Ward, 26, Teresa Florence Potae, 21, both unemployed of Papamoa, and Kahlone Boyd, a 21-year-old Hastings solo mother, all faced charges of aggravated wounding, burglary and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

Duty solicitor Paul Devoy represented the trio at the brief hearing, at which no pleas were entered.

Prosecutor David Pawson told the court yesterday that the unnamed victim was still in a critical condition in Auckland Hospital, where he was airlifted early on Thursday.

Ward was remanded in custody by consent until Tuesday. Boyd was bailed to a Hastings address with an 8pm to 7am curfew and ordered to report to the city's police station on set days. Potae's bail conditions included staying at a Papamoa house, with similar curfew and reporting clauses.

Aggravated wounding carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, burglary up to 10 years and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle seven years.

Police said the three defendants were drinking and playing pokies at various licensed premises in Mt Maunganui last Wednesday evening.

Later they allegedly drove in a stationwagon to a Sunbrae Grove address. After checking no one was home, they drove up the driveway and got into the house through an unlocked front door.

Property including two DVDs, a large television, a Playstation game, stereo, laptop computer, clothing, shoes and liquor were loaded into the vehicle. Police said four samurai swords were also put into the front of the stationwagon.

Arriving home, the 48-year-old victim and his partner discovered the vehicle at their front door.

When the businessman approached the driver of the stationwagon, police allege he was struck several times on the back of his head with a 1.5m-long sheathed samurai sword. He fell on to the concrete driveway, semi-conscious.

Meanwhile, the injured man's partner ran into the house and discovered it had been ransacked.

The keys were still in the ignition of the man's Jaguar XJR8, which blocked the stationwagon in the driveway. The Jaguar was driven away and later left at an isolated property.

Yesterday evening the victim's condition was unchanged from the previous evening, when it was listed as stable and comfortable.

- NZPA