Couple wake to home invasion

A South Taranaki man was seriously injured after being beaten with a baseball bat during a home invasion.

Detective Sergeant Chris Allemann said a 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged after the early morning assault on Friday.

It is alleged the man, whose disguised his face, entered an Ihaia Rd address in Opunake between 5am-6am, armed with the bat.

At the time the couple who live at the house were in bed asleep but when the female occupant woke up, she believed someone was in the house as the door to the room was open.

As she roused her partner, the pair were allegedly confronted by the home invader who began to beat the male with the bat.

Allemann said the assault only stopped when the woman intervened and climbed on top of her partner.

The man suffered cuts to his head and face and was admitted to Hawera Hospital for treatment. Allemann said the woman was not injured but was left shaken by the attack.

The arrested man is facing charges of aggravated burglary and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was remanded into custody and will appear in the Hawera District Court on Tuesday.

The assault is understood to be connected to a call-out police attended on Ihaia Rd about 5.45pm on Thursday where it is alleged a molotov cocktail was thrown at somebody.

Allemann said while it appeared the incidents were related to an ongoing dispute between two parties, police appealed for the public to come forward with any information they might have.

This includes any suspicious or odd activity on Ihaia Rd at the time of offending, as well as any sightings of people or vehicles in the area.

Anyone with information can call Allemann on 021 191 4531.