New Plymouth, New Zealand – The Braemar Motor Inn in New Plymouth became the scene of a horrifying attack in October 2022 when a group visited the emergency housing motel in search of drugs. What began as a drug-seeking mission quickly escalated into a brutal assault on a resident whom they accused of being a “child molester.”
Maxien Chand, Jay Paul Jorgen Andersen, and Veronica Poa arrived at the Braemar Motor Inn late in the night, looking to purchase drugs. The trio’s visit to the emergency housing provider, contracted by the Ministry of Social Development, led to a violent confrontation with a resident at the motel.
Andersen and Poa accused the man of being a child sex offender, leading to Andersen holding a knife to the man’s throat while Poa punched him repeatedly in the face. The altercation resulted in the man suffering a cut to his throat and a laceration to his hand during the struggle.
The assault caught the attention of the victim’s father, who also resided at the motel. He stepped in to intervene, but a struggle between him and Andersen ensued, escalating the violent confrontation. Plastic chairs were thrown as the altercation continued, with Chand entering the room at some point to take an item before urging the group to leave.
Following the assault, Chand drove the group away from the scene, only to be involved in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 3 shortly after. While Chand and Poa were located near the vehicle, Andersen managed to evade authorities for two months before being arrested in Taumarunui.
In court, Chand was sentenced for her involvement in the attack, while Andersen and Poa faced charges of burglary and wounding with intent to injure. The incident at the Braemar Motor Inn serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with drug-seeking behavior and the potential for violence to erupt in unexpected places.