An elderly woman suffered severe injuries after she was attacked in her home by a knife-wielding teenage offender. Photo / 123RF
An elderly woman suffered severe injuries after she was attacked in her home by a knife-wielding teenage offender. Photo / 123RF
WARNING: This story details a violent attack and may be upsetting.
A judge has described as “remarkable” the bravery of an elderly woman who suffered a horrific attack in her home at the hands of a 13-year-old.
Her forgiveness after enduring what was described as “one of the most brutal attacks imaginable” has been credited with helping the youth offender on a path toward rehabilitation.
The Youth Court released the decision on the case to NZME with strict non-publication orders to protect the victim and the youth offender, for whom suppression is automatic.
The boy ultimately received a Section 282 discharge under the Oranga Tamariki Act, which meant the charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was deemed never to have been laid.
Youth Court Judge Richard Russell said it was a finely balanced, difficult decision to make, but in doing so, he made special note of the victim’s express wishes – a person he described as having to live with the memories of what happened for the rest of her life.
“You say your concerns are for this young boy, because his future will be a lot longer than yours,” Judge Russell said.
The judge noted no one should ever have to go through what the victim did.
The woman, aged over 80, who lived alone and had pre-existing mobility challenges, had since bought herself a wheelchair with money paid as reparation for the attack in 2020.
The offender, known as “PW”, was wandering the streets of the small town where he lived in the early hours of the morning.
He’d not been violent in the past, but before the attack, he played violent video games and had been able to sneak out of the house at times to meet up with others without his mother knowing.
He’d not been violent in the past, but before the attack, he had played violent video games. Photo / 123rf
PW randomly selected the victim’s home and went inside through an unlocked front door. She was home alone and asleep in her bed.
The young teenager walked into the kitchen, picked up a sharp solid carving knife and went into the woman’s bedroom.
The boy then stabbed her multiple times around her face and neck, penetrating her throat and eye socket.
She woke up and tried to fend off the attacker, grabbing the knife and bending the blade in the process.
PW then began punching her about the head.
It was only when she was able to yell at him that he left, and she managed to call for help using a Hato Hone St John medical alarm.
About an hour later, PW walked into another address, stood next to the bed where a man slept and began stroking the man’s hair, which woke him.
Police were called and PW told them he did not have any memory of what had occurred.
A psychiatrist’s assessment was that PW suffered a blackout triggered by alcohol or possibly drugs.
The injured woman was hospitalised and transferred to a larger hospital in a different city in a serious condition that required her to be placed in an induced coma for five days.
Judge Russell said it was a miracle she had not only survived, but was able to attend the court hearing two years later.
The woman had previously worked for many years with young people.
“Your wish is for there not to be any vengeance or retribution, but to try to make sure this sort of thing never happens again to anyone else,” Judge Russell said.
PW was charged and appeared in the Youth Court in June 2020, when he was bailed to his mother’s address with a number of restrictive bail conditions, including a 24-hour curfew.
Two months later, he admitted the offending, and a family group conference was directed and convened in September 2020.
A comprehensive two-year plan was agreed on and approved by Judge Russell.
Regular court appearances followed to review PW’s progress. Several medical and mental health assessments ruled out any psychiatric or psychological issues.
Judge Russell said while the victim had been consistent in her views about wanting only what was best for [PW] moving forward, the police, however, said this did not mean the offending should be forgotten, nor should it be treated like it never happened.
Judge Russell thanked all those involved in the offender’s progress through the Youth Court, including the young man’s mother, whose relationship had ended as a result of what happened, along with her standing in the small community where she lived.
“I accept this has cost you emotionally, mentally and physically.”
Judge Russell said the offender must never forget what happened to the victim, but neither could he let it define him.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.
