Stanmore skater stabbing

Grant Godfrey’s Sunday morning was just like any other until he walked down the driveway to find his neighbour’s car “covered in blood and dents and surrounded by police”.

At 2:30 am on April 3 a young male skateboarder had been stabbed with broken glass on the street outside Godfrey’s home of one year.

The skater had been found soon after by a person driving by and taken immediately to hospital where he has since recovered.

The crime scene – the car was parked just in front of the yellow lines pictured.

Godfrey heard nothing, but said Sunday morning’s scene gave him “the fright of his life.”

“I saw my next door neighbour standing by his car. A policeman said ‘don’t touch the vehicle’. My neighbour, he was pointing at the vehicle and he was showing definite blood. You could see thick blood stains at the back of his car, on the front of his car, it looked like someone had put a ding in the top of his roof, and it looked like someone kicked in the door.”

The Linwood resident had thought there had been a brawl and was alarmed to discover there had been a stabbing.

Police are still unsure of where the glass shard that was used as a weapon came from.

A man was arrested for the alleged assaulted later on Sunday morning.

The crime scene from afar, from the opposite side of the road.

Detective Inspector Geoff Rudduck said the skater was on his way to town and the attack was “completely random.”

However in Grant Godfrey’s eyes, the assault is one of a growing number of serious crimes in the area that he says could be partly prevented with more CCTV cameras.

The nearest cameras to the scene were over a block away at the intersection with Gloucester Street.

“We didn’t see the incident happen, but if we had CCTV cameras out there, any car or anyone walking up and down the street would be safe.”

Godfrey says the road is well lit but he has asked the Council for more cameras, to no avail.

He has also made the same request to police.

“I’ve suggested to the Police they need more CCTV cameras on this road. They say no because they’re always cruising it- but it’s always after the fact… The amount of crime that has happened here in the last ten years would boggle your mind.”

There are cameras on some corners, but Godfrey says they’re needed on every one.

One of the two cameras at the Gloucester and Stanmore intersection.

“It’s just rotten. You go over to the other side of town – they’ve got cameras everywhere. That’s where all the money goes. We know we’re second class citizens.”

Grant Godfrey says he doesn’t know what has happened to Linwood but says crimes like this show “it is the ‘hood’ of Christchurch these days”.

“This is Stanmore Road. it has been the hood for I don’t know how long… Do You want to google how many shootings happen in Stanmore Road? I don’t know what’s happened to the area.”

The Washington Skate Park sits between Waltham Road and Moorehouse Ave, and Stanmore Road – seen in the top right – is a thoroughfare to the park and CBD.

Godfrey does not usually feel safe parking his car on the street, and he said Sunday’s events have reinforced that.

However since his neighbour, whose car was damaged, has two vehicles, Godfrey has parked on the street to let the neighbour keep all vehicles in the shared driveway.

Godfrey’s shared driveway where he usually parks.

“His car got pretty munted over this. After that weekend scenario, I told him you park both cars in here. We knock on our doors and we tell each other when the driveway parks become free. Normally, I wouldn’t park on this road. It’s very dodgy.”

“You try getting a taxi at three o’clock in the morning in Linwood. You just won’t, the taxis won’t come out here. I understand why they fear. ”

17-year-old Tim Robinson regularly skates along Stanmore Road on his way to Washington Skate Park from his home in St Martins.

Robinson said he was unsettled but not surprised to hear about the weekend’s stabbing there.

Friends Zac Sanson (left) and Tim Robinson, both 17, at Stanmore Road.

He said it’s hard to for skaters to stay safe at night, but unfortunately, for many that’s their favourite time to go boarding.

“Night skating is the best. I do it all the time. ”

“If there’s something that’s mysterious then you just speed along. It’s best to avoid it as much as possible. If you get chased, you just jump the fences because half the time they can’t get you.”

Robinson’s friend 17-year-old Zac Sanson agrees, but fortunately, he says there are safer areas they can go through to avoid Stanmore while getting to Washington.

“It depends on where you’re coming from.”

Samson and Robinson on their way along Stanmore Road to Washington Skate Park in the CBD.