A sleeping man who was woken by the sound of screaming in the early hours of the morning ran outside to find his teenage daughter curled up and bloodied on the ground in front of their family home.
Moments later he too was attacked and now struggles with daily tasks after suffering from a permanent brain injury from being struck in the face and falling to the ground unconscious.
Today that man addressed the stranger who broke into his home before violently attacking both him and his daughter.
”No father should ever have to see their daughter beaten up so badly and strangled to the point she passes out,” he told Quinton Ohlson as he was being sentenced in the Christchurch District Court.
However, in a surprising move, the man also offered Ohlson compassion, stating he hopes he turns his life around - and even offered to catch up with him over coffee when he was released from prison.
Ohlson was today sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for the violent home invasion, which left the man’s 17-year-old daughter, who has name suppression, traumatised.
The violent home invasion
According to the summary of facts, on June 13, 2021, Ohlson broke into an Opawa address at 2.30am, smashing the lock on the front gate before smashing a window of the house and taking items from inside.
About 30 minutes later, he gained access to another house through the back door. He turned the power off to the house and began gathering items, placing them in bags inside and outside the house. He also removed a kitchen knife and put it on a beanbag inside a bedroom.
At about 3.45am the man’s daughter came home and was confronted by Ohlson. He pushed her up against a wall outside and put his finger to her mouth to silence her.
When she bit his finger Ohlson punched her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. He then punched her eight to 15 times in her head as she lay on the ground begging him to stop.
The teen began screaming for help so Ohlson began strangling her, causing her to feel dizzy and lose consciousness.
Her father, who had been woken by the noise went downstairs and outside to investigate. He was confronted with his daughter covered in blood on the ground. She managed to point and say “man” before Ohlson struck him in the face, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
Ohlson then went into the garage and got into the family’s car, attempting to ram it through the garage multiple times before giving up and fleeing.
He was charged with two counts of burglary, injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and injuring with reckless disregard. Ohlson also faced charges of driving while disqualified, obstructing police, unlawful possession of firearms, meth and utensils and cannabis.
‘Her father wasn’t there to save her’
Today the man, his daughter and her stepmother took turns reading their victim impact statements in court, holding each other as they retold the trauma through tears.
The man said his daughter had blood all over her face when he found her. He was pained to hear she thought she was going to die and her last moments on earth would be filled with pain and terror and her “father wasn’t there to save her.”
He has since watched his “beautiful, brave daughter” learn to cope with the attack and said he “couldn’t be more proud of her”.
He said life would never be the same for him and his family, who were emotionally scarred.
He lives with the consequences of his brain injury, struggling to think, talk or “even function as a human being”. He can’t hold down a job and has to sleep a lot. He sometimes can’t hold a conversation and said he can’t be the father or husband that he wants to be.
However, the man did something that shocked even the judge. He offered Ohlson compassion and invited him to go out for coffee for a catch-up when he was released from prison.
He said Ohlson had already taken the first steps in meeting with the family for a restorative justice meeting and showing remorse.
”It is up to you now how you move forward. I really hope you can get there.”
His daughter suffered a broken nose, and a concussion and was strangled until she lost consciousness during the attack.
She struggled with setbacks in her education and had to miss her exams during her first year of university. Her second year was also interrupted as she had to undergo nose surgery, which revealed further complications with her throat.
Simple tasks like being home alone led to severe anxiety and she felt exhausted from constantly fearing for her safety.
She said witnessing the impact of Ohlson’s attack on her father was “heartbreaking” and watching him struggle with daily life filled her with “immense stress”.
”I used to believe things like this would never happen to me. The emotional trauma and physical scars this has left on me is immeasurable.”
She said while the horrific ordeal will always remain in her memory, she refuses to let it define her entirely and describes herself as a survivor rather than a victim.
The woman’s stepmother said Ohlson took away her sense of safety in her own home and her ability to sleep soundly throughout the night.
She said Ohlson also took away her family’s home as they had to sell it as they could no longer live there due to constantly being reminded of the “bloodshed” on that horrific night.
‘You are the thing that goes bump in the night’
Judge Michael Crosbie told Ohlson “You are literally the thing that goes bump in the night”.
He said it was clear that the victims were traumatised by his offending and had never seen a victim offer to go out for a cup of coffee with the defendant, stating it takes a special person to do so.
Crown prosecutor Aaron Harvey said Ohlson didn’t just break into the house but engaged in a “violent and prolonged” assault on a young woman and her father.
He said while there were only two physical victims, there were many victims of Ohlson’s offending that night.
Harvey pushed for a minimum period of imprisonment, stressing that the community needed to be protected from Ohlson.
Ohlson’s lawyer Joshua Grainger said Ohlson “has appreciated the consequences of his actions” and he wishes to “live up to the challenge” proposed to him by one of his victims to catch up over a coffee.
Grainger said Ohlson had made “significant” changes in his lifestyle and has the ability to stay away from drugs and hold down a job. Ohlson had also apologised to the family during a restorative justice meeting, he said.
Grainger said Ohlson had already spent a total of 471 days in custody and 383 days on electronically monitored bail.
The court heard Ohlson had an extensive criminal history, including 15 previous convictions for burglary and some violence offences.
The court heard Ohlson had a difficult upbringing with his father dying when he was 2 years old and his mother committing suicide when he was 17.
Ohlson turned to drugs to cope and was using meth by the time he was 13 and was addicted by the age of 16.
Ohlson’s offending was fueled to fund his drug use and reports provided to the court revealed that due to his upbringing, he acted violently when threatened.
Reports provided to the court showed that Ohlson was “remorseful and regretful” about the impacts his actions had on the family. A restorative justice meeting also took place which was positive.
Judge Crosbie sentenced Ohlson to seven years imprisonment with a minimum parole period of 50 per cent, meaning he must serve three years and six months of his sentence before he can go before the parole board.
SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: 0800 376 633
• What's Up: 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm)
• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• Helpline: 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
By Emily Moorhouse
Open Justice multimedia journalist
