A young woman viciously assaulted in front of a crowd in central Rotorua was not pregnant as previously thought.
The 24-year-old was reportedly kicked, punched and stomped by another woman on Pukuatua St on Wednesday in an attack witnessed by up to 20 people.
The victim was treated at Rotorua Hospital where it was discovered she was not pregnant, Senior Sergeant Mike Membery of Rotorua police said on Sunday.
She had not lost the baby, but must have thought she was pregnant when she was not, he told NZ Newswire.
She had been released from hospital the day of the attack and was home recovering from the ordeal, he said.
Police were working to identify the attacker and were following leads to try to track her down, Mr Membery said.
The women did not know each other "as far as we know", he said.
The attacker reportedly screamed and yelled abuse at the woman in a dairy before dragging her down an alleyway where she beat her.
Witnesses said the attacker was accusing the victim of "sleeping with her man".
NZN