Woman beaten unconscious by youths in Lower Hutt after altercation in store

A Lower Hutt woman was beaten unconscious by a group of youths after she tried to follow them from her store to point them out to police.

The woman, who did not want her name used, was working as the manager at the Japan Mart on High St on Saturday afternoon, and had followed the group of girls after banning them from her shop.

“I am furious at how the police did not turn up when the call was made from Japan Mart to them about the incident,” her husband told the Herald.

“My wife was following these low lives expecting the police to come to her aid, and instead of support she found herself alone in an alleyway being beaten.”

The woman was told by another staff member that four girls were making a mess in the store and being aggressive.

The woman had an altercation with the girls at the Japan Mart on High St, Lower Hutt. Photo / Google Maps

In a statement, she explained she had banned the girls from her store after seeing they had pulled products off the shelves on to the floor.

She said the girls began swearing at her and one squirted her with a water bottle. Another began filming her and putting the phone in her face.

“I was worried about my privacy as the girl appeared to be videoing me, so I put my hand down and my hand connected with the phone at the same time,” she said.

“I was feeling very intimidated and at this point and quite in danger.”

She called for one of the other staff to phone the police, and began following the girls at a distance, thinking she could help point them out to police when they arrived.

She said she followed the girls at a distance of about 50m, but one girl came back, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her downwards, until she screamed.

The girl let go and left with her friends, and the woman began following them again, calling out once more to her staff member to make sure the police were called.

She followed them into Queens Arcade, an indoor alleyway area containing several shops. The girls then turned and surrounded her.

She said the girls began kicking and punching her, focusing their attacks on her head.

The woman said she lost consciousness for a while and when she came to, she saw a man standing nearby. She asked him why he had not called the police and he did not respond.

The woman walked out of the arcade and another member of the public pointed in the direction the girls went. She began following again, believing the police would arrive soon.

“When I reached Dudley St, the girls came out from behind cars where they had been hiding. A third girl asked me if I wanted more.”

The woman followed the group into Queens Arcade in Lower Hutt and was then surrounded and attacked. Photo / Google Maps

A group of boys then appeared and the woman, feeling threatened, left.

“The police never came,” she said.

Speaking to the Herald, her husband said the woman initially went home after the assault, but was later taken by ambulance to hospital. She suffered a concussion, some bruising, and pain in her neck and upper torso.

“While she was being beaten in Queens Arcade she saw my sons driving past on High St and tried to call out to them. This was especially hard when my sons heard about this as they felt helpless, unable to assist their mother while she was being attacked by four youths.”

The couple have explained to police they have submitted multiple reports of shoplifting from the Japan Mart, but staff eventually stopped filing them because they were not followed up.

“Out of the reports that we did file, many of these people keep coming back to the store stealing more and more ... I wonder, are we below the threshold for police attending a shoplifting event?

“Law-abiding citizens who only want to go about their lives in a lawful society [are] being made to witness their loved ones being taken advantage of and now being beaten up on the streets.”

Hutt Valley Area Commander Inspector Wade Jennings said police received a call about 4.05pm that day reporting an assault that happened 10 minutes earlier.

“Details of exactly who was involved, or precisely where they were, were unclear at the time.

“This, combined with the fact that there were at that time no police units available to dispatch, meant that police did not immediately attend.”

Police received another call about 4.15pm with further details, including a potential updated location of where the alleged offenders were.

“The incoming shift was assigned to visit the informant in person to gather more information,” he said.

About 7.20pm, police were advised by ambulance that the victim was being taken to hospital to be checked. A police unit was redirected to the hospital to speak to the victim.

“Police are continuing to make enquiries into the assault, and would like to speak to anyone who has information that could assist, including any CCTV footage in or around Queens Arcade from 4pm to 4.30pm on Saturday, August 30.”

Police can be contacted via 105 either over the phone or online, reference file number 250831/2846.

The news follows the announcement of a special retail crime taskforce for the Hutt Valley.

Area Prevention Manager Inspector Shaun Lingard said the team of five were part of a taskforce they had been trialling for six months.

“We’ve seen other teams and taskforces set up around the country having great results, and this area is a priority for police,” he said.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.