Men foil violent attack on woman

Left bitten and bruised after being attacked in broad daylight, local business owner Kristen Shin says she is still shaken a week after the violent assault.

Kristen, who owns Nami Sushi on Broadway in Stratford, was walking to her car last Tuesday night at around 5pm.

"I had walked past a man sitting outside the dairy, but didn't pay much attention. Then he followed me. As I got to the car he spoke to me, asking what I was doing. As I turned to look at him, he snatched at my car keys."

In a panic, Kristen rushed to get into her car, but the man, who she says was much bigger than her, "grabbed me and pulled me back out".

As Kristen struggled with him, trying to get her keys, he bit her twice on her left hand.

"I started screaming, and I was pushing the horn trying to get attention."

Luckily for Kristen, people nearby heard the commotion and rushed to her aid, chasing the offender off. One was Pete Martin from Dicksons Service Centre.

"I heard screaming from over the road. At first I thought it was a child, but then saw the vehicle, and recognised it as Kristen is a customer of ours, so I ran over. When I got there, I saw a man in the driver's seat of her car. Terrance from the panel beaters jumped in the passenger seat yelling at him to get out. Then the guy ran off, so I started running after him."

Terrance Sayers says he had left work at Norm Webby Panelbeaters, and noticed a man sat outside.

"He looked kind of shady, and while I don't normally lock my car to go ito the dairy, I did. When I came out, I heard yelling and saw the same guy in Kristen's car. I ran over and jumped in the passenger seat asking what he was doing. He just took off."

Pete chased the offender along broadway, over fences, along the railway line and down alley ways.

"I saw Tony from Norwoods and yelled at him to call the cops." Pete and the offender ended up on the alley by the railway tracks behind Norwoods Machinery.

Tony Howatson, from Norwoods machinery had been driving, trying to spot the offender, when he saw Pete in the alleyway.

"The guy was facing him and was about to go for him. I thought two if us might make him think twice, so I drove the ute down the alley." The offender didn't run away, but ran at the ute, jumping on it with both feet, smashing the windscreen. He hit Tony in the face, who restrained him with Pete's help.

"Pete used his belt to tie his legs together and we just sort of sat on him until the police arrived." None of the three men see anything special in their actions.

"I just did what I could," says Terrance. Tony agrees

"I just did what was needed, would do it for anyone. It's a good little town and we need to look after each other".

"You don't want this stuff happening in our town do you? I wasn't going to let him get away with what he was doing," says Pete.

Senior Sergeant Allan Whaley of the Stratford Police Station says the police are very grateful to those who came to Kristen's aid.

"They put their own safety on the line and made sure the offender didn't get away."

The offender, says Allan, is well-known to police and the 20 -year-old New Plymouth man is now in police custody. Allan says he has been charged with a raft of charges including aggravated injury, wilful damage, attempted taking of a motor vehicle and two assaults on police.

"Police will be opposing his bail."

Kristen says she is glad the offender is currently behind bars.

"I still get shaky thinking about what happened. I no longer feel so safe. Each day I come to work I am worried when I hear the door open. I was so lucky the men came to help me. They saved me."