Hamilton police are searching for a group of up to four men believed to be connected to a rape in the city last Saturday.
A 20-year-old woman was raped about 3.30 am after she disturbed a thief trying to siphon petrol from a friend's car in Tongariro St, in the suburb of Chartwell.
The woman had been drinking with friends in nearby Donny Park when she decided to walk to her friend's home to use the toilet.
When the woman confronted the thief, two men got out of a hatchback car parked in front of her friend's car and started arguing with her.
The woman left the three men and was walking down her friend's long driveway when she was attacked by two of the men and dragged behind a garage.
One of the men then held her down while the other one raped her.
Detective Sergeant Neville Ross said police had received a number of tip-offs from the public but no arrests had yet been made.
He said that from interviews with the woman and a friend, who arrived at the scene later and was unaware of the rape, there could have been up to four men in the area connected to the incident.
Identikit pictures of two of the men, one believed to have taken part in the rape and another believed to have been nearby, have been released.
The man who is alleged to have raped the woman is described as Maori, in his late 20s, 183cm, with short, black hair.
Detective Sergeant Ross said another Maori man with long, dark hair was spoken to near the hatchback car by the friend.
Police are also seeking a European man who was in the area at the time.
A 17-year-old European man named Ryan was spoken to by friends of the woman at Donny Park. He is not a suspect.
Detective Sergeant Ross can be contacted at (07) 853-6400.
DRURY
Police are looking for the occupants of a red car, possibly a 1980s model Mitsubishi, who threw fireworks into the face of a 13-year-old boy in Drury last Friday night.
Neil Best was on a bike ride on Fitzgerald Rd about 6 pm with his best friend when the attack happened.
With his face badly burned, Neil cycled 80m and threw himself in a ditch full of water.
He suffered third-degree burns to his face, neck and chest and was lucky not to lose his sight.
He was taken to Kidz First Hospital for treatment, where he remains.
Neil's mother, Glenys, says her son's presence of mind had minimised his injuries.
She said that knowing he had been burned, he cycled to a nearby ditch to prevent further scalding after "the adrenalin put him into auto-pilot."
His sight had almost certainly been saved by his glasses.
His friend helped him to pull off his helmet and sweatshirt before they began the 1km journey back to the Best family's farmlet.
Police are appealing to anyone who may have been driving along Fitzgerald Rd that night - possibly on their way to Ardmore Quarry - to contact them.
Anyone with information about the attack should contact Detective Sergeant Albie Alexander on 295-0219.
WAITAKERE
Waitakere police are looking for three thieves who escaped with more than $10,000 from the Westgate Pharmacy in Henderson.
Two men acted as lookouts and provided a distraction while a third man grabbed the cash from an open safe at 1.15 pm on Sunday, October 29.
One lookout was wearing a beanie, vest and short-sleeved shirt and the other a peaked cap and distinctive orange shirt with a design on the back.
Anyone with information on the robbery should call Constable Dean Furminger, Massey police, on 832-4099.
SOUTH AUCKLAND
Police in South Auckland are seeking a prosecution witness in the shooting of Shane Hohepa at a former Tribesmen headquarters in Papatoetoe.
He is Tuakana Junior Inamata. The trial was due to start in the High Court at Auckland on November 6, but Mr Inamata failed to turn up.
He is a 31-year-old Maori, 170cm, of solid build with short, black hair and brown eyes.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Mr Inamata is thought to still be in the Auckland area and may be travelling with his 31-year-old wife.
Anyone who can help police find him, should contact the nearest police station or call Counties-Manukau police on 259-0600.
<i>Crime scene:</i> Police seek four men in Hamilton rape case
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