Flatmate row ends in stabbing

Photo / File

A stabbing in Kaeo was the result of a dispute between flatmates, police say.

A man in his 20s was airlifted to Whangarei Hospital after being stabbed four or five times in the arms and back on Saturday afternoon.

The young man ran inside the town's Four Square, where a shop assistant stopped the bleeding until emergency services arrived.

St John Kerikeri operations manager Nick Scott said the victim had suffered a suspected punctured lung in the attack.

While his injuries were not life-threatening, the situation could have "turned pear- shaped" very rapidly.

Senior Sergeant Peter Robinson of Kerikeri police said a 24-year-old Kaeo man was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He appeared in Kaikohe District Court yesterday and was was remanded in custody.

"There has been an argument of some sort, the offender has taken possession of a knife, and chased the victim around the house and property. The victim has received a number of injuries, including a lung puncture from a wound through his back."

The victim was yesterday in a stable condition in Whangarei Hospital, Mr Robinson said.

The incident was one of two near-fatal stabbings reported in Northland over the weekend.

The other was at in Whangarei where a 17-year-old was stabbed with a knife that almost disembowelled him.

He was recovering yesterday in Whangarei Hospital and his mother said she hoped her son would make a successful recovery.

The alleged attacker, Hayden Wehi, appeared in Whangarei District Court yesterday on a charge of wounding with intend.

No plea was taken and the 19-year-old builder from Huntly was further remanded in custody until November 19.