Brutal rapes spark off big police hunts

Press, 25 February 1977, Page 1

Brutal rapes spark off big police hunts

Auckland detectives are hunting three men who raped a young woman as bystanders ignored her screams, while Dunedin police are seeking a man who stripped, raped and bound a nine-year-old girl.

The Auckland woman, a 19-year-old New Zealandborn Samoan, had just attended a meeting of the Pacific Islands Church when she was attacked in Karangahape Road, in the centre of the city. Her assailants dragged her down an alley and raped and sexually assaulted her on a motorway construction site while at least six persons waiting for a bus on the opposite side of the road ignorec her screams. After her attackers had fled, the badly bruised woman ran back to the church for help. Auckland police said yesterday that one of the assailants was a European and the other two were Samoans. Detective Senior-Ser-geant J. F. Hughes said that the police were

anxious to interview six or seven persons who had been on the other side of Karangahape Road at the time of the incident last Wednesday night. “These people were across the road and ignored her screams.” he said. “They should be examining their consciences and thinking about coming forward and helping us track these men down.” In the Dunedin incident, also on Wednesday, the girl was walking home along Howden Street, Green Island, about 5.30 p.m. when she refused an offer of a lift from a Euro r aan driving a white van. The man, thought to be in his 20s, dragged the girl into the van and took her to a nearby paddock behind the Green Island School. He stripped her naked,

raped her and left her bound hand and foot. The girl later jumped and hobbled about 50m towards the street, where she was found an hour later by two elderly pensioners. Dunedin police said that the girl had received no “major” injuries but she was scratched, bruised and in a bad state of shock. A round-the-clock hunt was mounted for the assailant. described as being of medium height and wearing a dark waist-length jacket, a red jersey or skivvy, jeans and boots. Special Squad men with the latest Penry photo-kits were flown from Christchurch to help. Teams of detectiv '.s, uniformed police and tracker dogs combed the area of the attack and started knocking on Green Island doors for information.