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Vol 44, No 47
Old man robbed F
ive thugs who allegedly invaded the home of an elderly Pakuranga man leaving him bruised in the early hours of Saturday morning stole his new Suzuki Swift which was found on Sunday with six people in it. The 85-year-old man was taken to hospital by St John Ambulance paramedics with minor injuries and was discharged later that afternoon. Counties Manukau Police’s CIB closed off the area and forensic evidence technicians were seen examining the property in Millen Ave
on the day of the robbery. A neighbour who did not want to be named said he was asleep when the victim knocked on his door asking for help after the incident which happened at about 2.45am. He appeared to have suffered head injuries and his new Suzuki Swift car and TV had been stolen but he did not seem distressed, said the neighbour. “He was more angry that someone had been in his house.” Counties Manukau East CIB head, detective senior sergeant Kevin Tiernan, said that five peo-
ple were involved in the robbery and search warrants are being conducted today. On Sunday night, the stolen car was located and six teenagers, four of whom were under 17, were found in the vehicle. They were charged for being unlawfully in a stolen vehicle but not the assault and robbery, said Mr Tiernan. Sensible Sentencing Trust youth advocate and local Jess McVicar issued a release following the attack, saying anyone guilty of home invasion should be treated as
a terrorist.“People should be safe in their home – especially the elderly – anyone committing home invasion should face the full force of the law and be charged and sentenced as terrorists.” Ms McVicar said there has not been enough information released to the public. “Once again, the system is protecting the criminal. I do realise it is an on-going investigation but we should know the colour and number plate of this car so that anyone who spots it can inform the police.”
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GOING UP: $120,000 in 3 months By NATALIE BRITTAN A couple is stunned to hear their former Golflands home has sold for $120,000 more than its original sale price after just three months. Tony and Pat Eversden’s family home of 25 years sold for $1,030,000 in May and went under the hammer early this month for $1,150,000. Mrs Eversden says Harcourts Howick agent Anton Huang had organised a pre-auction offer from a buyer and they had accepted it. However, it was many weeks after the settlement that the buyer discovered that the hot water had been disconnected from the mains. Mrs Eversden says his actions did not reflect that of someone who intended to live in the house. “How do you live in the
house in the middle of winter with no hot water? It sounds pretty fishy to me.” Not long after, the house was again listed in August by Mr Huang. “I was told the reason for selling it was because [the buyer] had a job on the North Shore so it’s too far for him but I don’t know if there’s any truth in that,” says Mrs Eversden. Mrs Eversden, now living in Tauranga, says while the figures don’t bother her, she is worried about locals being pushed out of the market. “It’s not right. Kiwis just cannot get on the property ladder. “I’m not happy [the buyer] hasn’t lived in it. It’s going all over Auckland and I didn’t think it would happen to me. This Government isn’t doing anything for me.” She says the Government
should be making sure that people who purchase houses live here for a start and believed the man who bought her house was an overseas buyer. Chinese real estate agents are pocketing the profit easily too, says Mrs Eversden. “[Kiwi] real estate agents can’t speak the language so it’s Chinese selling to Chinese. These real estate agents must be laughing all the way to the bank!” When the Times contacted Mr Huang, he said he was under “strict” instruction not to speak to the media but he got the impression that his client had intended to live in the house at the time of purchase. “The market has moved up so much and people have different requirements,” he says.
Harcourts Howick principal David Clifton declined to comment about overseas buyers but said Harcourts CEO Hayden Duncan would love to talk about it. In July the Labour Party released figures leaked by a Barfoot & Thompson employee claiming that nearly 40 per cent of home buyers at an Auckland agency were Chinese. The two-year ‘bright line’ capital gains tax is scheduled to come into force next week, on October 1, which means buyers who sell a residential property that is not their main home within two years of purchase will pay tax and will be required to have an IRD number. TIDY PROFIT: Above, this Golflands home has increased more than $100,000 in price in just over three months. Times photo Wayne Martin
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