A woman who was seriously injured by a man who broke into her Oak Bay home early Tuesday morning is recovering, her mother said Thursday.
“Tell them she’s fine. She’s fine,” said Neehal Alireza, owner of the large glass house overlooking Willows Beach.
Alireza said police have told her not to say anything about what happened to her daughter.
Police said a 45-year-old woman suffered serious injuries to her upper body when she was attacked by a man with a machete. The attack happened around 7:30 a.m. when people were strolling the beach, walking their dogs.
The woman, who was able to call 911, told police she did not know her attacker. He is described as heavyset and in his 20s. He was wearing a brown jacket, dark pants and a baseball cap, with a light blue and white handkerchief around his neck.
No arrests have been made and police have advised residents to lock their doors and remain vigilant.
Police were able to interview the injured woman on Wednesday evening. She told them she heard noises coming from the kitchen area just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. When she went to investigate the noises, she found a strange man in the kitchen.
She confronted the man, resulting in an altercation in which she was struck several times with the machete.
Immediately after the attack, schools in the area were placed in a “secure and hold” procedure as a precaution.
On Wednesday, a forensic identification team and several officers from Saanich and Victoria police were at the house, using metal detectors to search the shrubs for evidence.
Robert Butler, who looks after the house when the Alirezas are away, said the family is originally from Egypt.
“They are really nice people,” said Butler. “It wasn’t until I saw the picture of the house in the Times Colonist that I realized who it was. I felt terrible, obviously.”
The Saanich police major crime section is handling the investigation, since Oak Bay contracts out major investigations to the larger department.
Anyone who has information on the attack or saw anything suspicious is asked to call Saanich police at 250-475-4356 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
ldickson@timescolonist.com
— With files from Jeff Bell
