I was attacked by a serial rapist

We have seen increased reporting on serious attacks in New Zealand.  From abductions, to home invasions, domestic violence offences, and store attacks, over and over again we see that people don't know what to do when these situations. 

I was attacked by a serial rapist in an Auckland car park in 2006. I didn't know what to do to defend myself and no-one came to my rescue. Although it was over 10 years ago, I can still sense the panic. 

As I returned to my vehicle I saw someone running towards me so I jumped into my car and quickly locked the doors. I was surprised when I saw him try to open the doors, but I was shocked when I saw him raise his arm and start to smash the drivers window with a large metal bar.  

In my panic I was trying to get the vehicle started and into reverse to get away from the danger.  Foot on brake, gear stick in park, turn key, gear stick in reverse, accelerate. It just never seemed to co-ordinate as I madly kept turning the key and running the gear stick backwards and forwards. The glass showered over me with every bash.  Again and again he smashed the metal against the heavily tinted window which finally gave way. 

I remember the feel his warm hands around my neck as he squeezed tight.  The pulling towards the window. 

And I remember seeing his sillouette running away.

After my ordeal, I ran back towards people trying to get help.  Inside the building, time seemed to be in slow motion and no-one seemed to understand my panic.  It was that moment that I realised the screaming was coming from my own mouth. 

Although the police had tracker dogs there within minutes my attacker went on to attack and rape many women in Auckland all of different ages and ethnicity's over several months before he was caught and sent to prison for 16 years.
  
Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie said outside the court there was little any of the women could have done to avoid being attacked. 

"Those women were not doing anything out of the ordinary. They were just very unlucky." 

I took self-defence classes to get my confidence back and now I'm teaching others how to defend themselves.  Now I know what to do if I find myself unlucky again.  

As a New Zealander having grown up in such a safe country its distressing to see and know that so many bad things are happening to innocent people right her in our country.  We can't be ignorant anymore as these things do happen to innocent every-day people in every-day places all over our beautiful country.  

Self-defence classes gave me the confidence to go out again, taught me how to be prepared for a random attack, and the ability to do something if I'm ever attacked again.  At Human Weapon Self Defense we want others to have the same opportunity and to be empowered with the same knowledge and skills. 

Human Weapon have group self-defence classes that can be tailored to students personal concerns and can be based around scenarios like street attacks, domestic violence, bullying, home invasion, etc.

Class sizes are small and personal, and run as block courses to ensure that students learn the techniques effectively and have confidence when leaving. 

The techniques taught are  suitable for men, women, and children and can be performed effectively by children through to grandparents.  

If you would like to learn more about classes please contact [email protected] or through www.humanweapon.co.nz 

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