Teen charged over Kaikohe stabbing

A 19-year-old Kaikohe man has been arrested in relation to a stabbing in the town in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The teenager was arrested around noon on Monday, and was due to appear in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston said the stabbing was alleged to have occurred when a group of uninvited youths were being ejected from a party in Kaikohe at about 4am. The victim, a 24-year-old local man, was taken to Whanga¯rei Hospital and discharged late on Sunday.

A family member said it was only by good luck that the knife had missed his vital organs, otherwise the outcome would have been “horrific”.

Mr Johnston said police were also investigating an assault on a group of tourists who were parked at a nearby designated freedom camping area at Lindvart Park. That incident was reported at about 10pm on Saturday, several hours before the alleged stabbing.

“A group of tourists had parked their campervans near the park and were catching up when they were approached by a group of aggressive youths,” he said.

“That group have smashed the windows of their van, assaulted several of the tourist group and then stolen some of their property.”

Police were examining CCTV footage and following up leads that had been provided.

“Any offending against tourists in Northland is treated very seriously. It’s an offence against all Northland residents, as tourism keeps our region going.”

The stabbing and the assault were likely to be connected due to their proximity and closely matching descriptions of the offenders. Anyone with information about either incident is urged to call the Kaikohe police on (09) 405-2960, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555-111.