Man taken into custody for disorderly behaviour following reports of assault in Wellington

There were multiple posts about the alleged incident on the Facebook page Vic Deals. Photo / File

A 38-year-old man has been taken into custody for disorderly behaviour on Courtenay Place in Wellington last night.

Police received a call at 2.50am from a person on Courtenay Place who had seen someone they believed was responsible for an assault earlier in the evening that was posted on Facebook.

Earlier that night a woman posted on the Facebook page Vic Deals alleging a man sat next to her, felt up her leg and masturbated.

A police spokesperson said they attended immediately and took a 38-year-old man into custody for disorderly behaviour.

A different woman also posted on Vic Deals last night warning others to avoid one man who she said followed her, said he had feelings for her and wanted to touch her.

This comes only a week after hundreds took to Courtenay Place to rally for safer streets in the capital.

Last month the Herald revealed the number of sexual assaults in Wellington had increased by nearly 50 per cent in the past five years, police data reveals.

Reports of sexual assaults and related offences have gone from 157 in 2015 to 230 in 2020, overall a 46 per cent increase inside the Wellington police boundary.

On top of this, the data also shows the number of acts intended to cause injury, including common and serious assault, have grown by 35 per cent over the same period.