AN ATTACK that saw an elderly Howick resident beaten, bound and left to die in her burning home is one of the worst crimes an Auckland fire safety officer has seen.
“There’s been a deliberate attempt to set the house alight. For what reason, we really can’t fathom. We’re all aghast at the sheer callousness of the actions of whoever did this,” says Mr Castle.
“Even in some of the worst crimes we don’t see this situation. In 40 years in the fire service, I’ve only seen something like this two or three times previously.”
As the Times went to print, the 83-year-old female victim was in a serious but stable condition in Middlemore Hospital.
Fire services found the woman in a pool of her own blood, bound by cloth around her hands and legs in the basement of her Bleakhouse Rd home.
Fire crews were called to the address by neighbours who saw smoke and flames billowing out windows at about 6.40pm on Monday.
Police have arrested and charged a 43-year-old man for aggravated burglary, arson, assault on police, common assault and threatening to kill.
Detective sergeant Shaun Vickers of Otara CIB told news reporters on Monday the crime was “horrific”.
Mr Castle agrees: “I’d like to think the legal system of the country takes a very severe attitude on this one. It’s a very stern matter.”
It remains unclear how the man gained entry to the property, with police suggesting no connection between the victim and offender before Monday.
Mr Castle says it is likely more than one fire was lit, in an attempt to burn the property. “We’re looking at a fire that started in the kitchen of the house, and it’s a very severe fire, and at the possibility of other fires being lit in the house elsewhere.”
Possible causes such as electrical faults, heaters and cooking have all been discounted.
“We believe it’s deliberately lit, an arson motivated fire. The damage to the fairly large kitchen is 100 per cent in terms of destruction and the damage to the rest of the house is severe.”
Manukau’s deputy fire chief Andy Clarkson says a back corner of the house was well ablaze when fire fighters arrived.
“The first two crews that arrived went in through the front door and commenced a search upstairs,” says Mr Clarkson.
“The fire was confined to the kitchen area in the back corner but there was fairly heavy smoke through the rest of the house.”
“They still couldn’t find anybody, so at that point the officer in charge told one of the guys to go downstairs and check the basement area. That’s when they found the lady lying on the garage floor all tied up.
“Fortunately there was no fire down there. It was all clear and ambulance [staff] were on hand to come in and treat her straight away and take her off to hospital.”
Authorities say the woman had sustained extensive head injuries.
A short time later on Monday evening about 8.30pm, the 43-year-old Caucasian male was located inside a house in nearby Macleans Rd, about 500m from the Bleakhouse Rd property.
Mr Vickers says the homeowner detained the man until police arrived, although he did make a bid for freedom by smashing his way out of the house through a toilet window. He received lacerations to his arm and was taken to hospital.
Police are asking for anyone with information to come forward. That includes people who noticed any unusual or suspicious activity in the Bleakhouse Road area on Monday, from about midday to 10pm, phone 272-0900.
