Boarding house tenant attacked wheelchair-bound landlord

The man dragged his landlord out of his wheelchair, punched him in the head multiple times and threw his chair away when he tried to climb back in during the attack. Photo / 123RF

A man taken into a boarding house so he could get back on his feet repaid his wheelchair-bound landlord by attacking him while he was asleep in his chair.

David Neil Thompson, 27, today pleaded guilty to injuring with intent to injure, assaulting a police officer, common assault and intentional damage in relation to the attack that happened in the early hours of May 21.

In his victim impact statement the 65-year-old Christchurch landlord told the court he felt “numb and hurt” by what had happened, especially after he had given a young man a chance to get back on his feet.

The statement, written a few days after the attack, described how he had had only slept six hours after the attack, which has had an extensive impact on both him and his partner.

According to the summary of facts, Thompson moved into the boarding house in Woodend on Saturday, May 21. The pair were not previously known to each other.

The following Thursday, Thompson, the landlord and another housemate were drinking alcohol in the main dwelling.

In the early hours of Friday morning at about 3.38am, Thompson entered his landlord’s motorhome, where he was asleep in his wheelchair. He grabbed him by the upper body, dragged him down the stairs of the motorhome and into a garage.

Thompson then punched his landlord in the head multiple times as he lay on the garage floor until he was knocked unconscious.

Thompson threw contents of the landlord’s garage around, including tipping 20 litres of dirty oil on to the floor, while continuing to assault and abuse the landlord.

He then got into his landlord’s ute and drove it through the closed garage door before climbing out the window and running towards the exit of the property.

The landlord, who had managed to climb back into his wheelchair, wheeled behind him and tried to calm him down but Thompson punched him in the face with such force it spun him and his wheelchair around.

The attack continued outside where Thompson pushed his landlord out of his wheelchair and on to the driveway where he again punched him in the face and threw his wheelchair away when he tried to climb back into it.

Thompson began kicking and punching the garage door before going on what appears to be a rampage through the house, smashing a bedroom door and damaging the house’s front door.

Police were called, at which point another resident living in a flat at the rear of the property had walked outside. As the resident went to approach the officers Thompson burst out of the house and punched the 26-year-old in the face with both fists.

While Thompson was being restrained and cuffed by police, he yelled abuse and kicked out at them, spitting on one officer.

The landlord sustained a concussion, severe bruising to both eyes and a burst blood vessel in his right eye, swelling to his head and face as well as wounds to the tops of both his feet.

The resident that Thompson punched was left with a tender cheekbone.

The resident’s victim impact statement, read out in the Christchurch District Court today, said they felt “weird and uneasy” about the situation, were still in shock and disbelief and said their partner was also left traumatised by it.

Reparation is sought for the damage caused to the house and garage as well as medical bills with costs yet to be confirmed.

Thompson will be sentenced in February next year.