Former MP Ron Mark witness in Rotorua stabbing: Locals tell of half-naked man's actions hours before stabbing

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

It started with a naked man play fighting at a Rotorua hostel. About 12 hours later, he was lying in the street outside the hostel with blood pumping out of a stab wound to his chest as three people kicked him.

It's an image witness Adrianne Renata can't get out of her head.

She also cannot shake her regret that she or others did not call police when he earlier caused a stir.

"That stabbing didn't need to happen."

Witnesses, among them a former MP, have shared accounts of the chaotic Saturday scenes, including a terrified family, a screaming woman and a man being pursued by an angry mob.

The stabbed man is in hospital and police are investigating but have yet to make any arrests.

The scene on Victoria St. Photo/ Supplied by Ron Mark

Renata lives at EJ's Dormitel, an emergency housing hostel in Victoria St. She said the hostel catered to up to 14 residents but the man at the centre of Saturday's incidents did not live there.

She said he was at the hostel around 11am. He had no clothes on and was "play fighting" with some of the people at the hostel.

Renata said no one thought to ring the police about the man's behaviour, including herself, which she was now "kicking" herself over.

"You would think with a guy running around naked someone would complain."

After 11pm, she heard a commotion and saw the man on the ground outside with blood everywhere.

Police cordons on Eason St on Sunday. Photo / Ben Fraser

She said there were three people kicking him.

"He was just lying there grunting. There was a lot of blood ..."

A dog from the hostel was licking blood from the ground.

Despite being trained in first aid, Renata said she froze.

"I can't get it out of my head. I'm losing sleep over this."

Adrian Renata found the man's bloodied body on Victoria St. Photo / Mead Norton

Others have also reported seeing a naked or partially naked man in the area on Saturday.

A woman with a young family on Eason St said a man was seen and heard making noise and going through a rubbish bin earlier in the day.

Later that night, about 11pm, the family was in the living room when they heard someone banging on their windows and trying to open their door and windows.

They turned the light on and opened the curtain, and the same man from earlier in the day had his face at the clear sliding door. He was "naked" from the waist down and wore a vest.

She said he appeared to be on some kind of substance.

The young family was "really freaked out," and she said she went into shock.

"I grabbed my phone and told him I was going to call the police. In that moment, he was still trying to get in."

She said it took about 20 minutes to get through to the police and, in that time, he had gone to another property on Eason St.

She said she saw him being chased out of a house where about 30 to 40 people were having a party.

"They didn't even get to the corner and most of them started running back saying he had been stabbed."

By then, she had made contact with emergency services.

She did not go to sleep until 5am on Sunday, which was "most definitely out of fear", and also got her partner to take a day off work today to stay with her.

She said the family had been looking for a new place to live for the last few months because of all the commotion and "drama" that happened in the area.

Former MP Ron Mark. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Former New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, in Rotorua for a family event, said a man without pants on was seen climbing out of a screaming woman's house on Toko St.

Mark said his family was getting ready for bed when two of his family members, who were sleeping in a campervan, ran into the house to tell them about the "hell of a commotion across the road".

The family went outside and heard a woman screaming "'there's a man in my house'" and saw a man climbing out of her window without pants on.

Mark said the man "had a go" at two neighbours who tried to investigate before he ran off.

Mark called the police at 11.25pm and the first officers arrived in minutes, followed by a dog handler.

Police forensic tape on the blood-stained fence of an Eason St house. Photo / Mead Norton

Neighbours of where the Eason St party was held said those at the house were mainly teenagers.

One said they awoke to hear a ruckus around 11pm with lots of raised voices from "heaps of young kids".

She wasn't sure what happened but said a man had jumped their fence, leaving blood stains on palings.

The neighbour said she hoped to move soon.

"We don't want to listen to that anymore. We are the working ones and we want to sleep."

A Lakes District Health Board spokeswoman said yesterday that the patient was transferred to Waikato Hospital on Sunday in a serious but stable condition.

Forensic teams were at the property on Sunday with two marquees set up as well as two sheets of tarpaulin behind a cordon.

Police have said they are following up positive lines of enquiry in relation to the investigation, and encouraged anyone who has any information to come forward.

Information can be provided to Rotorua police, 105, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, referencing file number 220626/7747.