Noreen Roudon was bruised and shaken in 2012 after fighting off a brutal attack in West Auckland. Fast forward to today and the 32-year-old is using that terrifying experience to help others stay safe.
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Ms Roudon's nightmare started when she was riding a train to Sunnyvale, and noticed a man on the same carriage.
"I automatically thought, okay he looks like a bit of a creep, why is he staring at me?"
She hopped off the train, and the man followed.
CCTV footage shows him pause for a moment, and pursue Ms Roudon down the stairs.
"I had a feeling that someone was walking behind me so I stepped to the left," she said.
But they didn't pass and as Ms Roudon pretended to tie her shoe lace, that's when the man attacked.
"He grabbed me from my jacket and scratched my neck. It was kind of a bit of a blur from there, I just started fighting," she said.
She scratched, and punched until the attacker ran away.
"People call it instinct, but my body just did what it had to do," Ms Roudon said.
The incident left Ms Roudon frightened, so much so that she moved suburbs, and didn't ride a train for a year after the attack.
"You never get back to your normal, you'll never be that person again, but I've tried to find the joy and become stronger out of it," she said.
She's strong enough to speak publicly about her experience and for the first time at an Auckland high school.
"From the experience that has happened, I've realised that I'm not a victim but a victor, so being able to share that with other people," she said.
Working with security company Q Risk she's begun telling her story, in the hope of teaching people what to do in a similar situation.
And the one thing she wants them to remember.
"Listen to your gut. If it's telling you something, you stop and listen to it," she said.
Ms Roudon's attacker was arrested and charged, but didn't receive a jail sentence. She says six years on he no longer has any hold on her.
Newshub.
