"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

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