Police warn of predator on Ponsonby Rd

Women need to be cautious. Photo / Michael Craig

Police fear a sexual predator is stalking the streets of Auckland's premier nightlife district after separate attacks on two women in the early hours.

Police are examining the possibility the women were watched by their attacker at bars on Ponsonby Rd - then followed to poorly-lit side streets where they were attacked.

Sex crimes squad Detective Sergeant Andy King said he urged women out drinking or by themselves at night in the city to take care at all times.

His team of detectives had identified links between the attacks, he said. He would not go into details but said the victims were women in their late 20s or early 30s.

The first assault was in March when the attacker attempted to force his victim into a car. There was no sexual element but may have been had the woman not escaped.

That incident was followed earlier this month by a rape with strong similarities to the earlier attack. The woman was forced into a car against her will.

King said both victims had been in bars on Ponsonby Rd - one worked at a bar and the other had been out drinking. One attack happened in the early hours of Saturday morning and the other early on a Sunday morning.

King said he was concerned further attacks had not been reported to police. He asked anyone who was aware of assaults or sex attacks in the area between March and May to get in touch.

Sexual violence support groups have been alerted to the attacks. Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP crisis manager Kate Brady Kean said the "escalation" in the type of attack between March and May indicated a "prolific offender".

Brady Kean said women out drinking were warned to be careful not to leave themselves vulnerable to attackers.

She said that included keeping money for taxi rides home if drinking, and not venturing into the night alone.

Brady Kean said victims of sex attacks they worked with were never compelled to talk to the police. But she said the "empathy and understanding" shown by the sex crimes squad in the three years it had operated had restored her faith in police. Victims were encouraged to pass information to its detectives.

The warning stands in contrast to a new report from Auckland City Council, claiming the area was one of the safer centres, according to Ponsonby Business Association manager Justin Bade.

The area is also the focus of a new pilot project from Rape Prevention Education, the Hospitality Association of New Zealand and police. The project aimed to teach bar security and serving staff how to spot sexual predators and protect vulnerable women.

* The sexual assault investigation unit can be contacted via Auckland central police on (09) 302 6400.

* Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP can be contacted on (09) 623 1700.