Letters: Kerikeri victim a prisoner of fear

The elderly man who was attacked by youths last September is still waiting for his day in court.

In September last year an elderly Kerikeri man was beaten unconscious, left in a ditch and his car stolen and crashed. The two teenagers who assaulted him pleaded guilty.

They have been on bail since the assault, pending a delayed pre-sentencing report for one of them. They are now due to be sentenced in March — seven months after the event.

While these two have been living relatively normal lives at home, the victim has been suffering emotional trauma, and is only just recovering from the assault. He has lost his confidence and found himself unable to enjoy some of his usual activities, such as travel.

These two youths, who bashed the 82-year-old firstly to get him out of the car, then again when he tried to grab the door handle, before throwing him into a gravel pit, have had their freedom for all these months, while the victim has been a prisoner of his fears.

One offender has now been placed in custody following conflicting accounts of whether he had been at home 24 hours a day, as required.

Why has it taken several months for his pre-sentencing report to be completed, and why has the other offender not been sentenced?

At the age of 82, the victim of this violent attack should not have to wait for justice.

LEIGH BRAMWELL
Kerikeri