Girl's mother in Roast Busters case slams lateness of apology

The IPCA report showed problems in police handling of the complaints.

The mother of an alleged Roast Busters victim says the police apology to her daughter following the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report is too little too late.

On Wednesday police apologised to the young women at the centre of the Roast Busters scandal following the release of the report which identified inadequacies in basic police work from seven cases it reviewed.

The Roast Busters are a group of mainly West Auckland youths who bragged on social media about having sex with drunk and underage girls.

In late 2011 police investigated complaints by teenage girls in relation to alleged offending by some of the Roast Busters. Charges were not laid.

In November 2013 the authority launched a review of the police handling of an investigation. Police also re-investigated the complaints and reviewed their initial investigation.

One of the complainants was just 13 at the time she was allegedly assaulted by at least two of the Roast Busters. Her mother blasted the IPCA and police when she was alerted to the report by the Weekend Herald.

The mother, who cannot be named to protect her daughter's privacy, said she was not informed of the IPCA report or the police apology before the release.

"I'm so f**king angry. What good is [an apology] now after four years?"

The report showed problems in police handling of the complaints.

The report said officers failed to pursue positive lines of inquiry, did not identify connections between incidents and "opportunities or interventions to prevent re-victimisation" were not considered.

Waitemata district commander Superintendent Bill Searle and Police Commissioner Mike Bush both admitted the standard of police work in the case had been unacceptable.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley, who was Police Minister when the Roast Buster complaints were laid, has announced an investigation into CYF's involvement in the case.

Professor Mark Henaghan, dean of law at Otago University, said the youths could still be prosecuted.

But a police spokesman yesterday said there was nothing in the report which has not already been considered.

- Additional reporting, NZME.