Riverhead attack - Police seek to identify man in CCTV
"Police investigating vicious attack on woman seek help to identify man in cctv footage "
To be attributed to Senior Sergeant Kim Libby, Waitemata Police
Police are seeking public help to
identify a man who was the last person to have seen a woman
before she was viciously assaulted in the early hours of
Sunday morning.
At around 2.12am yesterday morning,
Police received a 111 call from the victim.
The victim had woken up in a quarry to find that her head and face were injured, some of her clothing had been removed and a man was standing over her with a bat.
The victim managed to
call Police from her cell-phone but did not know where she
was. She managed to grab her clothing and flee from the
man.
Over the next hour the Police call-taker kept the woman on the line as enquiries continued in the background to find out where the woman was.
She was found
distressed and injured by a Police officer at a Timber yard
in Riverhead and was taken to get immediate medical
assistance.
The offender had left the area and was not located.
Police have a number of enquiries underway
and have conducted a scene examination at the site where the
woman was taken to by the assailant.
“This is a very
disturbing, nasty attack on a young woman and we are doing
everything we can to find the man responsible” says
Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby, Waitemata
Police.
The victim had been in Ponsonby earlier in the
evening.
CCTV footage shows a man speaking to the victim at around 10.20pm, outside the Mobil Petrol Station on the corner of Ponsonby and K Roads.
“This man is seen on
CCTV talking to the victim.
He is the last person who has seen her before she has woken up in Riverhead.
We need to identify and locate this man as soon as possible.
There were lots of people out and about and we want to hear from anyone who was in Ponsonby and recognises this man” he says.
Further enquiries are also underway and this
includes the gathering and review of CCTV footage in the
Ponsonby and Riverhead areas.
Forensic opportunities from the scene examination are also being pursued.
In the footage, the man is wearing a long-sleeved collared shirt, shorts, and black or navy-coloured Nike sneakers.
The Nike "tick" can be seen quite clearly on the side of the shoe.
“The victim has been treated for a number of
serious gashes to her head and face.
She also has a broken thumb and is extremely traumatised by what has happened to her.
We are assisting her with Victim Support in every way possible.
This is appalling and I know the public will share our concern that we need to catch this offender as soon as possible.
We need public assistance – someone will know who this is.
It could be a workmate, flatmate or family member” says Det Snr Sgt Libby.
Anyone with
information is asked to contact the enquiry team on 021 191
4085.
Private messages can also be sent to the Waitemata Police Facebook page.
(Media please refrain from
calling this number as it is needed for operational
calls)
Information can also be given anonymously
to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555
111.
ENDS