Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Callum McNeill, Waitemata East Area Investigations Manager:
Waitemata Police are continuing to appeal to the public for information as the investigation continues into an incident where a woman was assaulted on a walking track in Browns Bay on Friday 8th November.
At around 4.40pm, a woman in her mid-20’s received moderate injuries after she was assaulted while jogging on the track between Browns Bay Road and Beechwood Road in Browns Bay.
Police believe she was assaulted from behind by a man and are appealing for sightings of a male described as Maori, mid-20’s, around 5’ 10” tall and overweight.
The male was wearing a baseball cap and a dark short-sleeved top, and fled on foot into Beechwood Road.
The incident follows two similar incidents last month where females were assaulted on the clifftop track between Murrays Bay and Rothesay Bay.
These incidents occurred on Thursday October 10 and Thursday October 24 and both took place in the morning, with the victims both receiving injuries.
Detective Senior Sergeant Callum McNeill says Police are treating these incidents very seriously and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.
“These incidents all occurred in daylight on popular sections of walking tracks and we believe there are members of the public who would have been in the area at these times and may have seen suspicious activity or a male fitting this description.
“We are investigating the possibility that these incidents are linked and I want to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can to identify the offender or offenders involved.
“I know these incidents have caused concern in the local North Shore and East Coast Bays communities. I want to reiterate that we are treating these incidents really seriously and we have a team of detectives carrying out a number of enquiries in relation to these assaults.
“We have also increased our Police presence in the area and we will continue to do so.
“If you are exercising alone, we encourage you to be alert and aware of your surroundings. We ask the public to be vigilant and if you notice any suspicious activity, call 111 immediately,” says Detective Senior Sergeant McNeill.
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact Waitemata Police on 105 and quote file number 191108/3003 or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Nick Baker/NZ Police