Jacket saves takeaway owner's neck

Not many people would have been happy about the near freezing temperatures this week - except Rotorua's Kinhung Chiu.

The owner of Hong Kong City Takeaways doesn't normally wear a jacket.

But on Tuesday night it was too cold to be without one - and it may have saved his life when a knife was held to his throat.

Mr Chiu had his jacket zipped up to the top which, as well as keeping the cold out, provided padding when the knife was swiped across his throat.

Mr Chiu and his wife Yanling Huang locked up their shop at 11.10pm and were walking to their car when they were approached by a teenager.

He thought the teenager was going to ask him for a cigarette but the youth suddenly whipped out a knife with a 15cm blade and held it up to Mr Chiu's throat.

"He tell me 'give me money, give me the money' and I say 'okay, okay, okay I'll give you the money'," Mr Chiu said.

However, Mr Chiu didn't want to part with his day's takings.

So pushing the youth away, he took his jacket off and wrapped it around his arm so he could fend off the offender.

Mr Chiu then showed remarkable presence of mind and told him police were on their way.

At this the would-be robber became scared, running off with the knife but none of the couple's money.

Mr Chiu chased after the teenager but lost him.

The couple then rang the police.

They too had no luck in catching the teenager, described as a Maori, about 1.72m tall, with a "thin" face.

- NZPA