Assailant sought

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33381, 13 November 1973, Page 2

Assailant sought

The police are looking for two men alleged to have raped young women in Hagley Park and Addington Racecourse within three days last month, possibly as part of a gang's initiation rites. One of the attacks occurred about 1 a.m. on October 13, when two men standing near North Hagley Park dragged a 22-year-old pregnant woman into the park, bound and gagged her, and threatened to use a knife on her unless she co-operated. The offence was committed while one man held her down. The woman said she had heard one of the men say she was being raped to fulfil an initiation rite into a motor-cycle gang. She later helped to compose the artist’s impression of her assailant, shown at right. He was thought to he wearing a black leather jacket, similar to the one at right, with an oval white natch on the back and the letters “NZ.” The man was described as being between 25 and 30, between sft 6in and sft Sin, weighing about 11 stone, and having light brown hair, of medium length and receding slightly at the front. He had sidehoards and a slight whisker growth under the chin. The other man was thought to be wearing a crash helmet. The other attack occurred on a cycle track near the Addington Raceway about 9 p.m., three days earlier. The man was described as wearing a red space-type crash helmet, a light brown suit, and a light-coloured shirt and tie. He had fair hair of medium length, and was described as younger and shorter than the man described above. Detective Insnector R. Macdonald, of the Christchurch C. 1.8., said yesterday that he thought the offences might be linked. The attackers in both instances had worn crash helmets and had driven awav on motor-cycles, and the attacks had taken place within three davs.