Sex assault on jogger brings jail

Aman who dragged an Auckland jogger into bushes before strangling and sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

Avin Ivory Lock appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual violation.

Despite Lock having a lengthy criminal history, Judge Russell Collins was the first judge to jail him.

The judge declined a Herald application to photograph Lock for public safety and rehabilitation reasons.

Police arrested the 33-year-old after a woman was attacked on

May 11. She was running about 5am on a track alongside Auckland’s Northern Motorway.

Lock pushed her and dragged her into bushes near St Marys Rd. Her face was pinned to the ground as he strangled her and began sexually assaulting her, the court heard. She pleaded with him not to kill her — he said he wouldn’t if she stayed silent.

A cyclist saw Lock, heard screams and chased him away. Lock jumped a fence and ran in the direction of Swift Ave and Hackett St, through the back of several properties.

The woman’s victim-impact statement was read to the court yesterday. The PhD student said she suffered a concussion and nerve damage in the attack — and had flashbacks, headaches, nausea and difficulty sleeping.

“The activity I loved of running in the place I was attacked and harmed is no longer an enjoyable experience,” she said. “I have not felt safe since the incident. I love Auckland yet my husband and I will most likely move as a result of this incident.” The victim had been forced to take time off work and her studies, while a post-study grant was in jeopardy.

Lock was arrested after a DNA match, the court heard. His lawyer, Adam Holland, said Lock was socially isolated. At the time of the attack he was homeless and under the influence of meth.

Lock faced other charges. He admitted being unlawfully on property, while a charge of offensive behaviour was dismissed. He had 41 previous convictions, 18 for burglary, which had resulted in 16 sentences, from 2002 to 2017.

Judge Collins said a minimum period of imprisonment was needed to protect the public. A pre-sentence report said Lock had a high-risk of reoffending. He will serve at least two years and seven months of his four years and three month sentence.