A vicious attack on an elderly Kawerau woman in her home over the Christmas holidays is to feature on Police Ten-7 this week.
The 71-year-old woman suffered serious facial injuries in the early hours of Saturday, December, 29 when she opened the door to a man, mistaking him for an overseas relative she was expecting.
The offender demanded cash, before assaulting her and stealing her car which was later found abandoned by the river.
An investigation has been ongoing and there have been some positive lines of enquiry but to date no-one has been arrested.
Detective Sergeant Darren Thomas said: "The public are rightly outraged by this attack and it's important that we resolve it, not only for the victim but for everyone else in the Kawerau community who have felt fearful since this attack. We can solve this with the community's help and Police Ten-7 is an effective platform for us to spread the message."
Filming took place in the town earlier this week and the appeal will air this Thursday (14 March) at 7.30pm on TV2.
Police Ten-7 Presenter Graham Bell said during filming: "It's never hard to get the public interested in a case like this. To get a response we need indignation and crimes don't get much worse than this.
"We'll be giving some clues about the offence and giving the public an opportunity to be the detective and help us out."
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.