KEY POINTS:
Hamilton detectives scouring their city for a serial rapist will double their efforts tomorrow amid fears a new attack is imminent.
The 12 officers working the case will swell to 25 with back-up from the expert national profiling unit. The strengthened team will begin investigating a group of 100 men identified by the public after a series of three Sunday morning attacks.
Inquiry leader Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Page says there is a feeling of "real fear" among Hamilton women.
Today marks the seventh week since the unknown predator last struck - each of his three attacks have been six or seven weeks apart. Each time he has offered a ride to his victim in the early hours of a Sunday before taking her on a short journey to where he rapes her.
Police are reluctant to give precise details of who they are hunting but have listed the man's basic physical characteristics.
He is thought to be European and aged 18 to 40. A leading criminal profiler says the rapist is "highly likely" to be married with children and "charming", "trustworthy" and "believable".
As with most offenders who rape more than once, he is likely to have a criminal record, says the profiler, University of Auckland psychologist Dr Ian Lambie.
Serial rapists of this kind are also likely to be "clever" and "enjoy a sense of power, glory and control", says Lambie. It was probable he was a Hamilton resident who knows the inner-city region - the zone his three attacks have begun from - well.
Police have confirmed the sexual violations are linked, but won't say how.
Lambie told the Herald on Sunday that serial rapists liked patterns, repetition and trickery.
"They like to fool their victims and ensure they aren't caught. They experience some sexual satisfaction but the actual concept [of rape] also excites them."
The offender's Identikit picture has been posted in public areas where women regularly gather, including nightclubs and gyms.
On Friday night Hamilton women spoke of the climate of fear in their community. Amy Lerke, 24, said discussion about the rapes was rife among women at her workplace. "Since the story broke they've been a lot more cautious while out at night.
"It's frightening, I'm a lot more aware of people around me when I'm out, and I won't be jogging by myself any more."
Bar patrons Le King and Joy Northcott, said they too were exercising increased caution. "At the end of the night you will look after that drunk girl and get her in a taxi instead of just walking past," King said.
Friends Tamara Clarke and Aneeqah Jonas labelled the three attacks as "freaky", conceding they'd received "a real wake-up call". Jonas said she was now reluctant to talk to male strangers when out drinking at local bars.
Cherie Stevenson was particularly frightened by the suspected age of the rapist. "He's so young - you think skody old guys are rapists, not guys our age."
Police sources say the "starting point" with any serial rape investigation is to search prison records for recently released inmates and to track their movements since release.
The national profiling unit, which specialises in identifying serial offenders, is also working on the case. While police bosses won't reveal exactly what information has been passed on from the unit, it is understood officers have been analysing the criminal backgrounds of the 100 men of interest named by the public.
Unit head, Sergeant Brett Pakenham, would not talk specifically about the Hamilton case but said serial rapists were caught a number of ways - through forensic evidence, witness accounts, local police knowledge and tips from the public.
"When these methods aren't successful the profiling unit can get involved. We analyse the behaviour of the rapist, create a profile and generate a suspect list based on that profile," Pakenham says.
Rape is "seldom about sex", he says, but usually about power.
"Some serial offenders are driven by a fantasy which the reality never lives up to. They continue to offend in an attempt to realise that fantasy. Others rape to release anger and while that anger may be released in the short term, when the anger builds up again they will look for another victim."
Detective Dave Pizzini, a veteran of the infamous 1980s Parnell Panther case, says apprehending a serial rapist is no easy task.
"This is because they've had dealings with police before they became rapists and they know how we work," Pizzini says. "They are cunning, devious criminals and have a lot of street cunning. They are experienced at committing crime."
Police are appealing to anyone with information to call the rape hotline, 0800 TO CATCH, (0800 862-282)
Profile of a rapist
* Is convicted of any criminal offence at the average age of 16 and convicted for the crime of rape at the average age of 24
* 90 per cent of rapists have a conviction for house burglary before committing their first rape
* At the time of being arrested for a series of rapes the offender is unlikely to have a previous rape or sexual-related conviction.
* He is also likely to continue offending until he is apprehended.
* Victims are usually always strangers, identified by prowling activity.
The Hamilton offender
* Fair-haired European
* Aged 18-40
* Drives a light-silver-coloured car Likely Hamilton resident Charming and believable; possibly married with children
The attacks:
* Six to seven weeks apart
* Hamilton central city area
* Early hours of Sunday morning
* Three definite attacks so far: April 1, May 20 and July 1
The victims
* Women walking alone in the city
* Aged teens to mid-40s
* Taken on a short journey and raped
Source: NZ Police
