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A woman may have died in a knife attack but for the bravery of her 19-year-old son and a neighbour, police say.
The son was walking to his home in Rawene, on the southern shores of Hokianga Harbour, 43km west of Kaikohe, about 10.30pm yesterday when he was told that his mother had been dragged off into bushes by a knife-wielding man.
The son and the neighbour crawled through bushes in the dark, and together they managed to get the attacker off his mother.
The victim, 40, is in a serious condition in Whangarei Hospital with multiple stab wounds, but police said her fate could have been much worse.
"Police are very impressed with the pair's bravery in the face of such a violent attack and without their intervention the woman could have died," Northland police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said.
Taffy Gilbert Christopher Paki Andrews, 40, appeared in Kaikohe District Court today charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and burglary with a weapon. He was remanded in custody until next week.
- NZPA
