An Ōamaru solo mother says she is living in fear after repeated early-morning attacks on her home, which she alleges have been carried out by children and teenagers living nearby.
According to a report by Stuff, the woman, whom Stuff has agreed not to name, said her 11-year-old daughter had been targeted by a group for more than a year. She alleged the children and their teenage siblings had chased and verbally abused her daughter.
“They live on our streets, and they just decided it was fun one day to start chasing her, and they got the reaction they were after,” as quoted by Stuff.
She also alleged her daughter had been told to kill herself.
The situation escalated on August 23 when the woman said two of those allegedly involved attacked her.
“They bashed me.
“They threw me down on the road, and they kicked me and punched me and stomped on me… they broke two ribs, they broke a tooth,” she said, Stuff has quoted.
The incident was reported to police. Soon afterwards, she returned home to find a rock had been thrown through a window of her Kāinga Ora property.
She said further incidents followed, with rocks, eggs and toilet paper thrown at the property on several occasions. CCTV footage reportedly shows a youth entering the property and repeatedly throwing stones at the house, as reported by Stuff.
Several windows have been damaged, while egg residue has hardened on the walls and the letterbox has also been smashed.
The attacks escalated late last week when glass bottles and rocks were allegedly thrown at the house at about 3am.
The repeated incidents have left the woman and her daughter struggling to sleep and feeling unsafe in their own home.
“I'm sleeping maybe three or four hours a night, and even then I'm on high alert.”
“Every noise I hear, every bang or anything, I'm checking the cameras,” Stuff has quoted.
She said she now checks outside before leaving the property.
The mother also said she and her daughter had stopped walking around the neighbourhood because some of the alleged offenders lived nearby. Her daughter had also become fearful about attending school on some days.
Police were called following each incident, and those involved were trespassed from the property, she said.
A family group conference may be held to address the issues. The woman has also contacted Kāinga Ora about repairing the damage and asked whether either her family or the other household could be relocated.
Kāinga Ora Otago and Southland acting regional director Tim Harvey said the agency was concerned about what the woman had experienced.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community, and we understand how distressing situations like this can be,” as quoted by Stuff.
Harvey said the woman had done the right thing by reporting the incidents to police, who were responsible for investigating alleged criminal behaviour and deciding what action should be taken.
He said that where Kāinga Ora receives evidence of serious or persistent disruptive behaviour connected to one of its tenancies, it can use powers available under the Residential Tenancies Act, including taking steps to end a tenancy, as reported by Stuff.
Police confirmed there had been several recent calls for service in the area.
A Youth Justice process has begun in relation to an alleged assault, while police are investigating alleged wilful damage to property.
Police urged anyone who believes they are in immediate danger to call 111, as reported by Stuff.