Praveet Singh, a Fiji Indian woman, 40, had gone for a walk in the South Auckland suburb of Old Papatoetoe, in the early evening, when a stranger wielding a bottle attacked her from behind. The attack left Mrs. Singh with fractured eye sockets, a broken nose and bruises.
The mother of two had reportedly tried to seek help from one of her neighbours but the man continued to wash his car while Mrs Singh was being assaulted.
Mrs. Singh said on a social network that an intoxicated man punched and physically abused her "in front of more than 15 Fiji-Indians who stood and watched the entire ordeal like they were watching some show, while I screamed and yelled for help."
In her account narrated on One News, Praveet Singh said that, "I fell on the ground and the guy just kept hitting me. And I said 'please someone help me'.”
She ran into a driveway, seeking help from a couple who were washing their car. She said the man in the driveway moved away and pushed her back towards the man who had attacked her.
The man who had been in the driveway said he did try to step in, but because he is on kidney dialysis decided to leave and alert the police.
"Someone save me. That's the only thing I could think of was someone save me. I'm getting beaten up and I've got an audience. That's what it felt like" she told us at the Weekender. She set it is not about the culture but a question of mindset and attitude.
She praised the role of the police in the quick relief and filing of the complaint. However, she urged the authorities to put a blanket ban on alcohol consumption in public.
The New Zealand Herald quoted a man who said he was reluctant to intervene as he had thought it was a domestic assault.
A 26-year-old man appeared in the Manukau District Court on Friday charged with one count of common assault and another of injuring with intent to injure, the court released him after charges were pressed against him by the police.