A 74-year-old Katherine man has been savagely bashed after confronting young thieves near a popular holiday resort yesterday morning.
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The man has been airlifted to Darwin Hospital with severe facial injuries following the violent assault by thieves at Knotts Crossing in Katherine early yesterday morning.
The man was woken by footsteps on the roof of the Knotts Crossing Resort, Northern Investigations Section Detective Senior Constable Karl Gunderson said this afternoon.
“The man then left his room and was confronted by a group of unknown males, one of which struck him with a metal broom handle,” he said.
The males are described as of Indigenous appearance.
Knotts Crossing duty manager Megan Oldman said the matter was under police investigation.
“As far as I am aware there were separate incidents, some involving people trying to break into cars and cabins and a separate issue where a person was injured and went to hospital, that’s all I know,” Ms Oldman said.
Following the assault, the man is believed to have driven himself to Katherine Hospital where his injuries were considered serious enough to be airlifted to Darwin.
It was been a particularly violent week for Katherine with three young men arrested for an armed robbery at a service station last week where an attendant was struck while being robbed.
Police arrested a 21-year-old woman for the stabbing death of a 25-year-old Indigenous man at Kalano on the weekend.
Northern Territory Police are calling for witnesses, anyone with information should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.