Man assaulted as he disturbs thieves

Police are investigating an incident in which a man was knocked unconscious when he disturbed thieves outside his Pahiatua home.

The incident happened between 2:30am and 3am on Sunday morning (27 November), approximately 2km south of Pahiatua, when the 40-year-old victim was awoken by noises outside his address.

When he went outside to investigate he found that his vehicle had been interfered with and that some personal items were missing.

He wasn't aware of anyone around, but when he walked to the back of his vehicle he was struck over the head and knocked unconscious.

He came round a short time later and raised the alarm. He was taken to Palmerston North Hospital where he was kept under observation for four hours and then released.

Acting Detective Sergeant Glen Jackson said: "Given that this offence has occurred adjacent to SH2 it seems likely that passing motorists would have seen an offender going to the address or leaving. We are keen to speak to anyone who was in that area in the early hours of Sunday who saw any people or vehicles that may be linked to this offence."

It is not clear at this stage what the victim was struck, with and no details are currently available in respect of numbers or descriptions of offenders.

Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is asked to contact Acting Detective Sergeant Glen Jackson at Dannevirke Police on 06 374 4500. Alternatively information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.