Boiling jug deters would-be attacker

Press, 16 September 1986, Page 4

Boiling jug deters would-be attacker

PA Auckland A jug of hot water helped on Sunday to save Mrs Norma Crump, aged 71, from a would-be attacker wielding a garden fork at her face. Soon after entering Crump’s Garden Centre, in Balmoral Road, Auckland, the offender, who Mrs Crump said was wearing girl’s clothing, tried to divert her from the till.

Instead of listening to him, Mrs Crump went to the mains and turned off the power, making the till inoperable. "I knew he was trying to get me away from the till,” she said. “But I wasn’t going to let him get

any of our hard-earned cash.”

Soon afterwards, as Mrs Crump tried to telephone her son to tell him of her fears, the offender cut off the call.

As he moved closer to her, Mrs Crump grabbed a nearby jug of water which had just been boiled to make a cup of tea.

“He came at me with a garden fork pointing right at my face,” Mrs Crump said.

"I thought he was going to dig me in the face. So I grabbed a kettle full of boiling water which was right beside me and I said, ‘l’ll throw this over you.’ ”

The threat worked long enough for Mrs Crump to escape from the shop and call for help. The offender dropped the fork on seeing the jug and retreated to the far side of the store.

While Mrs Crump flagged down a passing car, the offender fled from the store emptyhanded. The police were soon on the scene and arrested a young man nearby. An unemployed Epsom youth, aged 17, has appeared in the District Court at Auckland on a charge of assault with intent to rob. He was remanded without plea.