Wellington CIB is appealing for public help in finding a man who raped a young woman in Ngaio Gorge Road early yesterday morning.
Detective Sergeant Dave Thornton, Wellington CIB, says the attack was particularly nasty and the offender was not known to his victim.
"This was a stranger rape where a vulnerable young woman was attacked on the side of the road," he says. "We need to find the offender before he strikes again."
The 22-year-old victim left Bunny Street, near the Wellington Railway Station, at 12.07 am yesterday. She walked through the station grounds to Thorndon Quay and headed north along the footpath on the right hand side of the road.
Detective Sergeant Thornton says the offender, described as a Pacific Islander, approached the woman outside the Gateway Centre on Thorndon Quay, a retail complex which includes Freedom Furniture, and spoke to her. The woman didn't know the man but he offered to walk her home to where she lives in the northern suburbs.
The victim and the offender then walked along the footpath on the railway station side of Thorndon Quay, into the old Hutt Road. They have continued walking on the railway and harbour side of the old Hutt Road before crossing into Kaiwharawhara Road near the traffic lights outside Spotlight retail outlet.
Detective Sergeant Thornton says they continued walking on the left hand side of the footpath up Kaiwharawhara Road into Ngaio Gorge Road, by which time the victim was becoming increasingly nervous.
"Halfway up Ngaio Gorge Road the offender has dragged the woman into the bushes near the roadside and subjected her to a particularly callous sexual attack," he says.
The woman's screams throughout the attack were heard across the valley into Wadestown and resulted in several 111 calls from the public. Police responded and found the victim in a distressed state on the roadside.
The offender fled immediately after the attack, possibly walking up Ngaio Gorge Road.
"We believe the attacker lives in or knows the northern suburbs well. We're very concerned that he's still out in the community and that he may strike again," Detective Sergeant Thornton says.
"We need more help from the public to find him."
The offender is described as:
• Male Pacific Islander
• Approximately 25 years old
• Spoke with an Island accent
• Short hair at sides longer on top
• Large obvious lips
• 178 cm - 180 cms tall (5ft 10 to 6ft)
• Medium build.
Detective Sergeant Thornton says police want to hear from drivers of vehicles who were on Thorndon Quay, old Hutt Road, Kaiwharawhara Road and Ngaio Gorge Road, and from people who work or live in these areas.
Anyone who can help with information about the attack, who knows the identity of the offender, or who has seen someone fitting the description in the Ngaio to Thorndon areas, is asked to contact the Wellington CIB crime squad as soon as possible. The telephone number is: 381 2000.
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