Man attacked while asleep in his car
Thugs attacked a homeless man’s van as he slept inside with his pooch.
The Te Aroha community is now rallying to help Graham Jackson whose been left with no wheels and nowhere to sleep.
Jackson, 54, and his pup of six years, Sandy, were sleeping inside his white peoplemover parked behind the Te Aroha Library early Monday.
He’s been dossing at the spot on and off for the past 10 months, moving between Te Aroha where his father’s ill in hospital and Katikati, where he works a seasonal orchard job.
As he drifted into slumber about 1.15am, he was jolted by the sudden shatter of glass.
‘‘It was like a shotgun going off. Next thing the left hand rear window was smashed, then the front one went. ‘‘I was being attacked.’’ Jackson froze, grabbing his dog. Behind the cardboard he had used to board up the windows and block the light into his mobile home, Jackson lay still while his thoughts raced.
‘‘I suddenly realised what was happening. Sandy was shaking and nervous, with every smash, so I held onto her.
‘‘I thought they were going to open the door and grab me and try and rob me. I could actually be killed here.’’
After smashing almost every window of the car with whats believed to be a hammer, everything fell silent.
Too afraid to get out of the car, Jackson waited a few minutes before crawling out into the darkness. There was no sign of the culprits.
He spoke with a group of German tourists who were sleeping in their car about 10 to 15 metres away. They had heard the commotion, thinking it was fireworks.
Jackson, who has no mobile phone, decided to walk to the local hospital and wait for daybreak.
‘‘Then I saw all the damage to the car and how violent it actually was. I don’t think they realised I was in the car and I’m sure if they did, I would have become the actual target.’’
Jackson is puzzled as to why someone would take such action. Was it targeted, or simply random, he asks himself.
‘‘Have I upset someone in this town? Then I thought they might be trying to rob me.’’
He’s been parked in the spot for two weeks solid with no trouble.
His van now has $3000 worth of damage and is no longer allowed on the roads.
‘‘Now I have to try and get myself another vehicle or I can’t take on the employment, I needed that transport.’’
Jackson reported the crime through the buzzer at the local police station around 10am the next day. Police arrived about four or five hours later.
Waikato police Senior Sergeant Mike Henwood confirmed police had received a report of wilful damage to a vehicle parked in the Te Aroha carpark early Monday.
It appeared there was no CCTV footage available from the area, or any descriptions of those those involved, Henwood said.
After becoming aware of the man’s situation, officers had provided assistance to WINZ, he said.
Born and bred in Te Aroha, Jackson began sleeping in his car a few years ago.
He’s been offered a few houses in the past but they all had a no pets policy, he said.
There’s also a waiting list for accommodation through Work and Income, he said, that prioritises women and children. He doesn’t mind, as he fits all his possessions in the back of his van.
‘‘That vehicle was also my home, all my possessions are in the back, I don’t own a lot just the things I need.’’
Locals have rallied for Graham, giving him a place to stay at the Mountainview Church.
Anyone who may have information can report it to their local police station or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.