Girls flee man with tomahawk

Abigail Hartevelt | 16th July 2010

Fearing for their lives, two Rotorua girls were chased by a man who had burst into their home armed with a tomahawk.

The man - 39-year-old George Alan Perham of Rotorua - appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to several charges following an incident on Tuesday.

Perham pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging a wooden door, being found without reasonable excuse at a property, frightening the victims with intent by threatening to injure them, possession of an offensive weapon - a tomahawk axe - with the intention of using it to commit a crime and intentionally damaging a mattress in the police cells.

The police summary of facts said Perham went to an Elliot Cres property about 3.30pm. A 33-year-old man and his daughter and niece, both 15, were at the property.

Police said Perham was under the influence of an unknown substance and appeared to be agitated, unpredictable and confused. Perham was carrying a 30cm tomahawk.

Perham appeared to be searching for someone who did not live at the house. Concerned for their safety, the victims locked the doors. Perham began to bang on the back door. He kicked the door so hard it came away from the wooden frame causing $400 damage.

The 33-year-old victim was so concerned for his safety he and the two girls leaned against a door to prevent Perham from getting in before the two girls hid in a bedroom.

Perham climbed through a bedroom window but the victims fled the property.

The two girls saw Perham walk out behind them and pull out the tomahawk axe before chasing them. The girls ran, not stopping until they had crossed the road and hid in a house where they called police. The man ran from the back of the property.

Perham was arrested and when put in a police cell he pulled the cover off a mattress, ripping it into small pieces.

Perham's lawyer, Jonathan Temm, told the court Perham had been looking for his daughter after being told earlier in the day she was in trouble.

When Judge Chris McGuire asked Mr Temm whether his client was under the influence of drugs, Mr Temm replied: "No disrespect to him [Perham], he always looks like he is in a state of disrepair."

Mr Temm asked that Perham be granted bail until sentencing and said he was serving a term of home detention and had been complying with the sentence.

Mr Temm said no one had been injured during the incident.

Judge McGuire said he could not ignore comments made by one of the young victims that she had feared for her life and that of the other girl.

"The bottom line is three people had to flee their home. It is not going to be possible even if you were a first offender to escape a term of imprisonment. This is home invasion," Judge McGuire said.

Perham was remanded in custody for sentencing on August 26.