Man slashed in chainsaw attack

A man was allegedly attacked with a running chainsaw while sitting on a lawn of a Dunedin house yesterday afternoon.

The offender allegedly ran from the house in the suburb of Caversham with the chainsaw and slashed twice at the victim's head and back following an ongoing dispute, Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken said.

The engine was running but the chain was locked, but the chainsaw teeth still caused cuts up to 7cm long to the victim's back, Mr Aitken said.

The victim drove himself to Dunedin Hospital and was treated for minor injuries.

The armed offenders squad arrested the man and the chainsaw was recovered.

"Had the chain [been running] . . . there's a pretty fair chance the guy would've been in two bits," Mr Aitken said.

A 33-year-old Dunedin man will appear in the Dunedin District Court today, facing a charge of assault with a weapon.

- NZPA