Still scarred by a stranger's addiction

Amy Maxwell. Photo / Supplied

The scars on the throat of Amy Maxwell are a constant reminder of the night a P addict held her at knifepoint to pay for his next fix.

Working alone in a downtown Wellington bar, the 22-year-old was closing up on a quiet night and emptying the poker machines of the day's takings.

Walking back behind the bar with $2500, Amy was grabbed from behind with a knife put to her neck and pushed towards the toilets.

Thinking she was going to be raped, Amy struggled and was knocked out, her attacker fleeing with the cash.

"It was the most terrifying moment of my life, hopefully the most terrifying I'll ever have.

"There's nothing scarier than someone threatening your life," Amy told the Weekend Herald.

Security camera footage helped police arrest her assailant in a matter of days and he was later convicted and sent to prison. He told police that he robbed Amy to feed his P habit.

But seven years on, Amy, 29, still struggles with the lasting impact that methamphetamine had on her life as an innocent victim.

"You wouldn't think an incident like that would impact on so many other areas of my life for such a long time," said Amy. "I don't expect it will ever stop, in some way."

Unable to sleep, anxious and "jumpy", Amy was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

She left Wellington to live with her father in Auckland to work, but has since moved to Blenheim to study viticulture and winemaking.

After battling through dark times, Amy is happy to now be doing something that she loves.

"I will never get rid of the scars from where he held the knife to my throat," she said, "but I doubt he gives me a second thought."