Police are this morning appealing to friends or family members of a young man believed to be responsible for at least 11 indecent assaults on women in the Onehunga area to make contact with the enquiry team.
Police are also launching a dedicated 0800 number - 0800 748 244 and are asking anyone who may recognise a young man fitting the description to call the 0800 number.
Since October 2015, eleven women have been indecently assaulted whilst walking or running alone in the Onehunga area.
In each case, the victim has been approached from behind and indecently assaulted. The description of the offender is of a young Maori or Pacific Island teenager, aged between 12-16 years old, thin to slim build, with light brown hair, possibly dyed a yellow/brassy colour. In many cases he has been wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and knee-length shorts.
“We’re taking the step this morning of releasing a map which shows the locations, times and dates where the women have been indecently assaulted. We’re doing this as well as providing a description of the person we believe is responsible for these assaults” says Detective Constable Patrick Whitiora, Auckland City Police.
“The description of this offender is of a very young person – behaviour such as this in a young person is worrying, and we want to not only apprehend this person to obviously stop any more indecent assaults but we also need to get him help” says Detective Constable Whitiora.
The most recent assault occurred on 27 March (Easter Sunday) in Gambia Avenue, Onehunga. The primary location for the offending appears to be in the area around the Fergusson Domain, but other assaults have occurred in Oranga Avenue, Arthur Street, Grey Street and Amaru Street.
Three incidents took place over three days between 2 and 4th February this year, two of them occurred within the space of three hours on the morning of 13 February.
Police have made extensive enquiries across the wider area. Officers recently made door to door enquiries at more than a hundred homes, seeking any information that could be of assistance.
More than seven hundred flyers have been hand-delivered to homes in the area, with the description of the offender and safety advice. A further 400 flyers are expected to be delivered to a wider area this week.
Detectives continue to work through information gathered as part of the area canvass, but Police want to hear from anyone with information that could help them.
“This young man may have told someone about this or hinted that is what he has been doing. He needs help and he needs to be stopped. Please, if you suspect that it may be your mate, your brother, your son, then help us to help them. Everyone has the right to walk our streets without feeling fearful – and there is no place for this behaviour in our communities” says Detective Constable Whitiora.
ENDS
Beth Bates/NZ Police
Media: Det Constable Patrick Whitiora will be available for interview at 10am at a standup at Fergusson Doman. Please meet outside the Oranga Community Centre, which is just off Waitangi Road. There is a covered area if it rains. Unfortunately he is not available for interview before then.
He will also have copies of the flyer available at this press conference.
