Positive leads in Wanganui supermarket robbery

Whanganui police say they are following positive leads in their investigation into the aggravated robbery of the St John Four Square Supermarket.

The supermarket manager said he will never forget the incident, in which the armed robber whose face was covered with a cloth ran into the Great North Rd store and demanded money on November 18.

The robber pointed a long-barrelled weapon at the manager and told him to empty the till. As he was emptying the till, the robber moved behind the counter next to the manager and thrust the barrel of the weapon into his stomach.

The offender is described as a male of medium build and about 1.73m (5ft 7in) to 1.76m (5ft 8in) tall, wearing dark clothing. He fled the shop and got into a small white hatchback, similar to a Mazda Familia or Toyota Corolla, that was parked in St Leonard St near the store.

Police were still looking for the person responsible for stabbing a 16-year-old in the face with a screwdriver on November 21 in Wanganui.

The assault on Manutahi Edwards happened about 7pm, on the corner of Keith and Glasgow Sts.

The stabbing was so violent it had pushed a piece of bone up into the part of the brain that controls breathing, swallowing and blood temperature. The teenager is in Wellington Hospital's Intensive Care Unit where he will remain over Christmas.

The police have spoken to all the people who witnessed the assault.

- By the Wanganui Chronicle