Police investigating a daylight sex attack on a Christchurch street still urgently want to talk to a man who scared off the young woman's two assailants.
The 21-year-old woman told police she was walking along Chester St West, near the Christchurch court complex, between 10am and 10.30am on
Thursday when she was dragged off the street and indecently assaulted behind a hedge.
She fought against the pair and screamed out to a passerby, who intervened, forcing the pair to flee.
Detective Sergeant Mark Reid, of Christchurch CIB, said today police had taken several calls from people nominating names for the two suspects after their compusketches were published at the weekend.
"But we do not, as yet, have any contact with the good samaritan, which we desperately would like to have," Mr Reid said.
After further interviewing the victim Mr Reid said it appeared the man had just put his head over the hedge during the attack and yelled out to the two men. He then checked the woman was okay and carried on walking.
"He may not have thought a big deal of it," he said. "We'd still like to speak to that person."
Mr Reid reiterated police had no reason to doubt the woman's account of what happened. She was still highly distressed.
He said police were today continuing inquiries around the court area and reviewing crime camera footage to try to identify the woman's attackers.
They were described as a Maori aged 20 to 25 with longish hair, unshaven and with tattoos on his arms, and a Caucasian aged about 21 with short mousey blond hair and acne on his face.
Mr Reid said police had reports of two men matching those descriptions hanging around the District Court steps shortly before the incident.
- NZPA
