Joseph Parker posted this video to Patreon, asking for donations to fund his music career
Roast BusterJoseph Parker uploaded a video asking for people to fund his musical ambitions days before an exclusive interview where he spoke out about the group for the first time.
The 23-year-old today told Newshub he was speaking out in an attempt to "make amends" for the actions of the group.
Parker and Beraiah Hales were alleged to have been the ringleaders of the Roast Busters, a group who bragged about having sex with girls as young as 13.
On Saturday, Parker posted a video to YouTube under his stage name Høhëpa asking for people to support his music.
"I'm here promoting my Patreon page if you want to go ahead and support me on Patreon to support my music and creative endeavours," he said.
Patreon is a subscription service and is a way for creators to offer exclusive content to their subscribers, usually used by artists.
In another Patreon introductory video he talks about mistakes he made as a teenager.
"As a teenager I made some decisions that I thought would be able to catapult me into a career doing the things that I loved but all it did was show me the people I hurt and left me with a stain on my reputation that'll be there for life."
He said that over the past five years that experience had pushed him to be the best person he could be.
Two days after the video was uploaded, Newshub aired an exclusive interview with Parker who hoped people would see he had changed since Roast Busters.
The group was investigated by police several times after a 13-year-old made a formal complaint about the youths in 2011.
At least four other girls came forward and made formal statements to police about the actions of the group.
No one was ever charged in relation to the allegations - despite the police investigation and an exhaustive review - due to a lack of evidence.
"The police have all the details on every single complaint and they decided not to press charges for a reason," Parker told Newshub.
"We did a lot of things wrong but at the same time we also weren't the monsters that everybody thought that we were, and we didn't do all the things that people thought we did.
"I hope that they can see there is a change in my heart and they can see that I am here trying to make amends and make it better."
After his Newshub interview, negative comments had already popped up on his YouTube video about Patreon.
In December, Parker uploaded a song on YouTube called Trophies which addresses Roast Busters and how he sought fame through it.
In the song he says that when he was 16 years old a group of girls came around to play some Wii and after "a couple of drinks" Roast Busters started.
"I just did it for LOLs, just for a story to say, I never knew it would turn into what it did but the next day everyone was talking about it", Parker says in the song.
"The look on their face had me elated I was so invigorated just knowing I'm entertaining so many people the praises had me in a frenzy to maintain it.
"So I'm humiliating females just for the fame, flying the Roast Busters flag higher than a plane."
In the chorus, Parker sings about how one day he hopes he'll be able to turn "his regrets into trophies".
Towards the end of the song Parker said moving to Los Angeles and attending church saved his life, "running from a past he couldn't face".
On his Facebook, Parker's cover photo reads "Jesus Christ is Lord" and in a post from December he shared his testimony on YouTube - a video which has been deleted.
SEXUAL HARM - DO YOU NEED HELP?
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the Safe to Talk confidential crisis helpline on: ll 0800 044 334 or text 4334
Help Auckland can be called 24/7 on 09 623 1700 and if you're asked to leave a message do so and an operator will be in touch soon.
