Surgery for girl badly beaten in park attack

The 17-year-old victim of a brutal bashing in a west Auckland park during the weekend had surgery today to repair damage to some of the broken bones in her face.

Police said the teenager and her boyfriend, 19, were lucky to be alive after they were bashed in Starling Park in the west Auckland suburb of Swanson on Saturday night or early Sunday.

The man was found semi-conscious by a couple walking their dogs about 7am on Sunday. As he was being treated by ambulance paramedics, his bloodied, badly hurt girlfriend was knocking on the door of a nearby house asking for help.

She had several broken bones in her face and was taken to Middlemore Hospital. Her boyfriend was taken to Auckland Hospital.

Both were admitted to intensive care units but were transferred to wards yesterday where they were both described as being in a critical but stable condition.

Police said today they had yet to speak to the pair and find out details of the attack and it could be some days before they were well enough to be interviewed.

Police said the man was being very closely monitored.

They have appealed for anyone who saw the couple on Saturday night near their home in Massey or in Starling Park to call them.

- NZPA