Face of Nation : A Northern Beaches man who was shot with a speargun has fled his attacker in a car, despite the spear still sticking out from his chest just centimetres from his heart. Police say the attack would be classified as wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, a serious crime carrying a sentence of up to 25 years imprisonment.
They’re now scouring the caves on the Northern Beaches’ headland as they hunt for the alleged attacker, who is described as having dreadlocks and possibly being with a dingo. The 48-year-old victim was found in his car just before 5pm on Friday on Coonaga Road at Avalon Beach, police say.
“He had a spear protruding from his chest and he was obviously in agony,” Detective Chief Inspector Michael Boutouridis told reporters on Saturday. “He was taken to North Shore Hospital where it was established that the spear narrowly missed his heart, he’s a very lucky man to be alive, we would have otherwise been talking about a murder.”
The man’s alleged attacker has been described by police as an “unkempt” man of caucasian appearance, 190cm tall, 35 years old with a slim build and dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a blue jumper and dark jeans and is often accompanied by a dog that has been described as a dingo, Chief Inspector Boutouridis said.
“The latest is that we know in the past he has been sleeping rough, he’s experienced in sleeping in cars and even in the caves on the Northern Beaches headland,” he said. Chief Inspector Boutouridis has urged the public not to approach the man, but to call triple-0 if he’s spotted.
“It wasn’t a random attack, the two men knew each other … this was a meeting that obviously went wrong,” he said. “I have no information right now to suggest that he intends to harm anyone else, which I draw a little comfort from and so should the community … one would know the consequences when you fire a speargun at another person at a range of two metres.”
