Man in court for alleged serious assault on woman and burglary of Paihia Police Station

Paihia police station wasn’t as packed as this on Sunday - in fact it was empty - when a man allegedly broke into the station after he is accused of seriously assaulting a woman

A man has appeared in court for allegedly breaking into the Paihia Police Station shortly after seriously assaulting a woman.

Inspector Riki Whiu, the Far North Police area commander, said the man appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday after assaulting a woman, and then breaking into the Paihia Police Station.

The man, aged 27, was charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, intentional damage to vases, pot plants, window panes, window frames and doors at the police station, and entering the police station without authority and with intent to commit an offence.

Whiu said officers were initially called to Marsden Rd, near the Selwyn Mall, in Paihia around 1.15pm on Sunday to reports a man and woman were arguing.

The male then allegedly seriously assaulted the woman, who it’s believed was known to him, Whiu said.

The woman was taken to Whangārei Hospital with serious injuries to her head and body, and is in a stable condition.

Minutes after the alleged assault, police were notified of an alarm activation at the Paihia Police Station, where a man was immediately arrested by police.

He had allegedly smashed his way into the front of the station with a brick and smashed through another internal door before gaining entry into the office area, where he damaged the internal alarm that was sounding.

He was located by police inside the building. The same male is believed to have been involved in both incidents.

Whiu said the station was not open at the time the incident occurred and there is no tactical equipment stored on site.

The damage is being repaired and the police will be conducting a review to establish whether any improvements can be made.

As part of ongoing inquiries, the police would like to hear from anyone in the vicinity of Selwyn Mall, Selwyn Rd, or Williams Rd who saw what happened, or recall seeing a male acting suspiciously in Paihia township during the day and prior to these events.

If you can help, please contact the police on 105 and quote file number 230730/5703.