Rapist's partner may recognise behaviour

Police have released further details about the repeated sexual abuse of a 37-year-old woman at her home in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, last Tuesday night.

Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said the attacker forced his way in through a sliding glass door after asking to use a phone, and then bashed the woman to a compliant state.

The victim was handcuffed and had a pillow put over her head as she was repeatedly raped

"Over the four to five hours of her ordeal, he has sexually violated and raped her in every possible fashion, including using foreign objects," he said.

"He has also, after each violation, made her shower and wash thoroughly."

Mr Grimstone said criminal profilers believed the offender's current or previous partner would recognise the behaviour, and he urged her to call police.

"What I'm told is that she will recognise violence before sex as common in their relationship."

Mr Grimstone again praised the courage of the victim, who had been able to provide police with a lot of information.

"She has said, 'I'm not going to let this man get the better of me. I'm going to pull myself together. I can deal with this.'

"It's just unbelievable how she is managing to cope."

The woman was badly bruised around the face during her ordeal and also suffered swelling and abrasions over her body.

She escaped when the man forced her into her own car and drove to a money machine to try to get money out of her account.

As they approached the money machine, she dropped her bank cards as a diversion and fled to a nearby service station.

The man drove off but crashed the car after a short distance and left on foot.

He was described as an unshaven Maori in his late 30s or early 40s, with wrinkles around his eyes and smelling of stale beer.

He was reported as wearing a black baseball cap with white trim, a green hooded nylon jacket, dark pants, a black woollen scarf and black woollen gloves.

But as he left the woman's house, he had on a blue pair of women's jeans and a black windbreaker jacket, items he had taken from the property.

Mr Grimstone said there had been numerous phone calls from the public, but again appealed for anyone with information to ring police on 09 295 0220.

- NZPA