Hutt Valley Police are seeking the public's help to identify a man appearing in CCTV footage taken in the Mills Street area of Melling, Lower Hutt on Thursday 11 June.
Police investigating Thursday's sexual and physical assault of a woman in her early 30s on the Eastern side of the Hutt riverbank are currently reviewing CCTV footage and other relevant information obtained as part of their ongoing inquiries. The woman was attacked about 1pm as she was walking northwards along the riverbank walkway from Melling in the vicinity of Mills Street.
"After reviewing the footage we are interested in speaking with a man who appears on camera in the Mills Street area just before 12pm who as yet we have been unable to identify. Despite our inquiries to date, we have not been able to identify this person, so we are now seeking the public's help in the hope that someone can tell us who he is, or that he himself will come forward," says Detective Sergeant Nick Pritchard of Hutt Valley CIB.
"We have therefore today made the decision to release images from the footage in the hope that we can identify and locate him, and if nothing else, eliminate him from our inquiries. At this stage he is simply a person that we want to speak to who we think may have information that could assist us."
Mr Pritchard said footage showed the man walking northwards along Connolly Street, Melling, at 11.42am before turning into Mills Street, then waiting for a few minutes by an access gate into the riverbank area at the end of the street. He then reappears briefly by the gate again at 11.49am and 11.51am before disappearing from view.
The images also show a tattoo on the man's right calf which Police believe could help to identify him.
Mr Pritchard said anyone with information could contact Hutt Valley Police on 04 560 2600, or anonymously via the organisation CrimeStoppers, ph 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Police media contact: Ross Henderson, PNHQ Public Affairs, ph 021 192 2919.