'Nasty' burglars bash woman unconcious

File photo / NZ Herald

A woman who disturbed two men burgling her Mount Maunganui house late at night was attacked and beaten so badly, that she was knocked unconscious and her teeth kicked out.

Police have labelled the assault as "nasty" and "completely unprovoked".

The 38-year-old was out with friends on Saturday September 18 and saw two young men inside her Maunganui Road house when she came home at midnight.

Detective Sergeant Darryl Brazier said she was walking down the driveway when one of the men came out and punched her in the head.

The second man then joined in on the assault and left her bleeding and unconscious on her driveway.

Mr Brazier said the woman's injuries were so bad, police were unable to formally get a statement from her until late last week.

She suffered a possible fractured jaw, broken teeth, severe bruising, deep lacerations to her face and swollen eyes.

"This is a really nasty and unprovoked attack on a defenceless woman returning to her home," Mr Brazier said.

"As she walked down the driveway... she got knocked to the ground and he and the second person started kicking her around the head. As a result she has had some teeth knocked out and she received a deep laceration to her face and mouth."

"We are really concerned about the level of violence that was used."

He said it appeared she disturbed the men who were were in the process of burgling her house, located about 100m south of the Bayfair roundabout.

Direct neighbours were not home at the time and residents in the area were shocked at the incident when approached by the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday.

The men were described as young - possibly teenagers - wearing dark pants and hooded sweatshirts.

"She received some fairly serious injuries, so we are very keen to speak with anyone who could give us information that could be useful in finding the people responsible," Mr Brazier said.

The men stole a lawnmower, a surfboard, a wetsuit and two skateboard.

They were taken from a shed.

The incident was the second violent attack in the Western Bay this month.

Two men, armed with a knife, metal bar and screwdriver, forced their way into a Carlton St home and subjected a man inside to a severe beating.