Auckland father and son stabbed in violent attempted home theft

An Auckland man was left with a slashed back and a shattered bone after trying to protect his father from a violent attempted burglary on the front lawn of their own home.

One of the men behind the attack appeared in North Shore District Court this week charged with demanding with intent to steal and unlawfully possessing a prohibited firearm.

The 26-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, arrived at a northwest Auckland house wielding a homemade pipe firearm alongside an associate brandishing a machete at 1.36am on December 30, 2023.

An unwitting father opened his front door after hearing kicking and banging and was met by the armed pair, whom he did not know.

The defendant appeared in North Shore District Court for sentencing. Photo / Michael Craig

The man asked, “Where’s the stuff?” The victim stated, “What stuff, I ain’t got no stuff.”

The man pointed the firearm at the father and said, “Give me your stuff or I’ll f***ing shoot you”, loading the firearm.

The two began wrestling in the front garden of the house and the firearm discharged a shot.

The victim’s son rushed outside to help his dad, but the associate armed with a machete struck him in the arm as he tried to block the attack.

The associate continued to swing the machete, slashing both the father and son on their backs.

The son managed to retrieve a spade from the garden and attempted to defend himself against the machete by holding the spade out as a barrier.

The unknown associate – who has not been found and charged – fled the property, and the son swung the sharp end of the spade at the defendant’s leg, injuring him and causing him to flee.

The son was transported to Auckland City Hospital by ambulance and required surgery.

He suffered a long cut to his back requiring stitches, and a significantly deep slice to his left arm resulting in a shattered bone, cut tendons on both sides, and damaged nerves and arteries.

The father also received medical treatment for multiple stab wounds on his back.

‘You characterised yourself as a victim’

The defendant appeared in North Shore District Court on March 19 for sentencing on charges of demanding with intent to steal and unlawfully possessing a prohibited firearm.

Defence lawyer Hannah Kim emphasised her client had already spent eight months on electronic bail and had written a handwritten apology letter.

Judge Murray acknowledged the man’s remorseful letter and guilty plea but said he had tried to “minimise” his contribution to the violent attack.

“You say what you were doing was on orders of a senior gang member.

“You characterised yourself as a victim and somewhat of a passive presence at the offending.

“The way you spoke about the offending was inaccurate and you minimised [it].

“Both of you had weapons. .. you threatened to shoot him if he didn’t hand over his stuff.”

Kim argued he should receive a 10-15% discount for background factors in his childhood that may have led to his offending.

Judge Paul Murray agreed that the 26-year-old’s violent behaviour as an adult had likely been influenced by his upbringing and gave a 10% sentencing reduction, amounting to three months.

He was sentenced to two years and one month of imprisonment, with the judge describing a term of home detention as “wholly inappropriate”.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.