Auckland Police are investigating a serious incident in St Mary’s Bay early this morning where a woman was the victim of a sexually motivated attack.
The woman was out jogging at around 5am this morning beside the Northern Motorway heading towards Auckland’s CBD, when she was grabbed by a man and dragged into some bushes near St Mary’s Road. The man has then strangled and indecently assaulted her.
A passing cyclist heard her screaming and came to her aid.
The offender has then run off in the direction of Swift Avenue and Ring Terrace and was last seen jumping over a fence.
Both the victim and the witness went straight to Auckland Central Police Station to report the incident.
The female suffered minor injuries and is very shaken up by this incident. Police and Auckland Sexual Assault HELP are providing her and her family with support at this time.
The offender is described as being male, dark skinned, possibly Indian with short black hair, 175 – 180cm tall and of slim build.
He is believed to have been wearing a dark blue jersey with white writing and aged in mid 20s or younger.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard says Police are in the process of carrying out a scene examination, visiting addresses nearby and are canvassing the area for any CCTV.
“This was a random attack by a stranger. We want to assure the community that we have a team of investigators working on this case and Police will be increasing our frontline presence in the area while we work to identify and catch this offender.”
“We are now asking for anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area or for home owners in this vicinity who have CCTV cameras operating to contact the investigation team,” says Detective Inspector Beard.
Information can be provided to Auckland City Crime Squad on 09 3026557. Alternatively, you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Shelley Nahr/NZ Police