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A man who abducted and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in west Auckland last weekend may have been targeting girls for six months, police say.
The teenager was enticed into a silver car by a man described as a Pacific Islander while walking in Glen Eden on Saturday afternoon. She was physically and sexually abused before she was dropped off.
Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie said today calls from the public suggested a man may have been trying to entice girls into his car since the beginning of the year.
"People have been saying they have seen a silver car going up and down roads in the Huia Rd-Titirangi area," Ms Goldie told NZPA.
"Someone has reported a man who followed similar patterns to this offender in January."
Ms Goldie said none of the previous reports were as serious as last weekend's attack, with nobody being enticed into a car.
"But we are very concerned about whether he will go as far again. The pattern is generally for it to get worse."
Ms Goldie said the public response had been good but no firm evidence had come to light yet.
She said the victim of the weekend attack had come into the police station yesterday and suggested the silver car was of small to medium size and a newer model.
"It's something like a silver Toyota Corolla, which she said he looked quite big in," Ms Goldie said.
"She said it looked new and clean, but some of the imported cars are in very good shape so we can't say for sure if it is a new model."
The girl was picked up after the offender asked her for directions and then insisted that she get into his car and show him the place that he was looking for.
Ms Goldie said the girl was driven towards the Titirangi, Laingholm and Woodlands Park areas and was physically and sexually assaulted in the car.
She was also threatened during her 45-minute ordeal which ended when she was dropped near the intersection of Woodvale Rd and Ambler Ave.
"She was fairly quiet when she came by yesterday," Ms Goldie said. "She's still pretty shell-shocked."
The offender was described as a large Pacific Islander with good English but with a noticeable accent. He was about 183cm tall, unshaven and aged between 35 and 45.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Waitakere CIB on (09) 839 0600.
- NZPA
