New arrival tells of brutal assault

Englishman Paul Speakman came to the Bay of Plenty to see if he should move his family there.

But, less than a day after he flew in, men broke into his campervan in the dead of night and beat him with a crowbar in front of his petrified son.

Mr Speakman yesterday recounted the horrific ordeal he and his 12-year-old son, Christian, suffered at the hands of four attackers early on Tuesday.

They had arrived in Auckland on Monday from London on a mission to see if the family of seven should move here. Soon after touching down, they set off for the Western Bay in a rented campervan.

"I was feeling pretty tired from jet lag and needed to find somewhere to pull over and sleep," Mr Speakman, 46, said.

At about 10pm they stopped at a layby in the Athenree Gorge, near Waihi, and were soon sleeping.

"I was woken up by this tremendous banging and smashing," Mr Speakman said.

"Everything was pitch black and I had absolutely no idea what was going on."

Christian said he was too terrified to utter a word as three men, having smashed most of the van's windows, burst in.

"I didn't know what to do. It was just a nightmare."

Mr Speakman became aware of a man standing over him aggressively demanding cash.

"I was still sleepy then I heard this guy saying, 'Give me your [expletive] money'."

He was then hit by the crowbar on the side of his face and arm. Covered in blood, confused and shocked, Mr Speakman handed over cameras, suitcases, travellers cheques and passports.

"We were trying to co-operate but nothing seemed to make them happy," he said.

Christian was not touched but had to watch as his father tried to fend off the savage crowbar assault, while another assailant stood holding a tomahawk.

The attack ended as the campervan was lit up by a passing car, causing the assailants to bolt to a waiting car.

Fearful of their attackers returning, the Speakmans fled into the bush, barefoot and clad in their nightclothes.

A bleeding and barely conscious Mr Speakman and his son ran through undergrowth until they met the highway again.

"We were just happy to be alive," Mr Speakman said.

They flagged down a truck and emergency services were alerted.

The Speakmans were taken by ambulance to Tauranga Hospital, where Mr Speakman received stitches to cuts in his temple and lower lip.

He said he was emotionally shaken.

Mr Speakman, his wife, Assunta, and their five children have yet to decide whether New Zealand is the place for them.

"It's still early days right now and it is difficult to make future plans," he said.

However, Christian is more upbeat. "I still want to live here. I know it was just a one-off thing."

He also reckoned his brothers and sisters would love New Zealand.

Four men appeared in Rotorua District Court on Tuesday on charges relating to the incident and were remanded to reappear at a later date.

- NZPA