Home invasion victim 'lucky to be alive'

NEW BEGINNING: Ian Noble, 78, feels lucky to be alive after he was beaten with a hammer during a violent attack in his Hastings home last year. Photo/Paul Taylor

More than a year after he was attacked with a hammer in his own home, Ian Noble is still trying to move on with his life.

The 78-year-old was the victim of a brutal attack in June last year when two females raided his Heretaunga St East home, leaving him unconscious with facial fractures and fingers smashed after trying to protect himself from the blows.

On Thursday a jury of four woman and eight men found 30-year-old Dominique Carroll guilty of two charges relating to the attack; burglary with a weapon and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Carroll's co-offender Chanel Allen, who was 17 at the time of the attack, was sentenced earlier this year to six years' jail for her involvement in the home invasion.

Allen initiated the raid on the night of June 24, having been piqued at being ignored by a former boarder of Mr Noble's, but it was Carroll who bashed him with a hammer before the pair fled the scene in his car.

After sitting through the four-day trial and testifying on the stand, Mr Noble said he was pleased with the outcome.

"I'm very pleased with the result and the help I received from everybody involved; hospital staff, police and the Crown prosecutor. They couldn't have been more help really.

"It was a horrible experience and I hope as time goes by it will fade from my memory, although something like that you never really forget."

He said it was scary that people were prepared to carry out such violence, adding he had lived on tenterhooks ever since.

"If I had realised they were going to attack me like that I might have been able to defend myself a little bit better but you don't think somebody is going to do that to you. I couldn't do it to them but obviously they had no qualms about it.

"I've been a little bit nervous, especially when you hear strange noises around the house. You're just on your guard all the time. I'm pretty lucky I'm a very active 78-year-old and I was able to get over it. A lot of people probably wouldn't have been able to cope with it as well as I did."

Originally from Scotland, Mr Noble immigrated to New Zealand in 1965 and had lived in the Hastings home since 1986.

He said he maintained an active lifestyle and could be found walking the hills of Te Mata Peak several times a week in summer.

"I've just about fully recovered. My hand is slowly getting better. I spoke to the surgeon about a week ago and he doesn't think he needs to operate again. I've still got the nerve damage to my face and I've got to go and see the face surgeon next month."

Since the attack he had undergone several operations but the most painful experience was the treatment to his hand.

"They had to put wires to keep the bones in place until it healed. Then they pulled the wires out; that was the most painful part of the whole thing because they just give you some laughing gas and it doesn't do much good really."

He felt "lucky to be alive" and hoped Carroll would get a lengthy jail term when called for sentencing on December 15.

"I feel that she is a very nasty woman and she deserves to go away for a long time. I sometimes think of the old theory of an eye for an eye was probably what she really deserved but you can't do that in this modern world.

"I just hope she gets put away for a long time so she can't do the same damage to somebody else."

As for Allen, he said there may be some hope for her because she was young and might be able to keep out of trouble.

"I just hope she has a little bit of remorse because I don't think Ms Carroll had any remorse whatsoever."

Undeterred by the home invasion, Mr Noble continues to live in the same house, close to his three children who also live in Hastings.

"I'm quite happy here. There's a nice garden and nice neighbours. I quite enjoy it here."