KEY POINTS:
Police will not stop four touring England rugby players at the centre of an alleged sexual attack leaving the country tomorrow.
The players accused of the alleged rape or sexual assault of a woman at Auckland's Hilton Hotel last weekend deny the accusations and have refused to be
interviewed by detectives after taking legal advice.
A leading criminal lawyer supported their stand, saying it would have been foolish for them to have agreed to talk to police at this early stage.
Nigel Hampton, QC, said no charges had been laid, and police were still to take a formal statement from the alleged victim yesterday.
Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said the victim had made the allegations to police herself.
There was no reason to detain or restrict the movements of any of the English players and what may or may not unfold in future was speculation.
"Certainly if some time down the track there is some formal statement made, there would be another approach from police to speak to the people at the centre of the complaint."
The English rugby team said it had "positive dialogue" with Auckland police but the players were not prepared to speak to them in the absence of a formal complaint.
"The England squad fully understands the frustration felt by many members of the public and the media regarding the lack of information the squad have been able to provide," a spokesman said.
"We hope it is understood that in the context of an on-going police investigation this is a difficult time for all concerned and when it is appropriate to do so, further comment will be made."
Mr Hampton said it was reasonable for the English players to exercise their legal right to refuse to speak to police, especially when police did not have a formal statement from their accuser.
"If you were advising them, you would be a fool to say to them anything other than not to say anything at all," Mr Hampton said.
"It's not a situation where you would want to sit down with police and have a conversation, because you could be led into saying something unwittingly."
The players leaving the country made the job more difficult for police "but not impossible for the matter to be carried through in a proper way".
New Zealand police officers could travel to England in the future to try to speak to the players, or English police could be asked to do it on New Zealand's behalf.
If police established a case of substance against the men, they could then seek to have any of the four extradited to New Zealand to face charges.
"Extradition wouldn't be a difficult task provided they get the evidence together in a proper form and there is sufficient evidence," he said.
None of the "classical grounds" to oppose extradition, such as differences in the justice systems and risk of injustice, would apply.
"If there is a case to answer, it would be difficult to resist extradition."
The Weekend Herald understands top law firm Russell McVeagh is working on behalf of the four England players. However, when contacted yesterday, Russell McVeagh's marketing manager, Janet Grant, would neither confirm nor deny the firm's involvement in the case.
'ANGEL' DENIES TALKING TO TABLOID
A woman who gave details of England rugby team members' behaviour in the Hilton Hotel after last Saturday night's England-All Blacks test has become the subject of a British tabloid story.
But 22-year-old Aucklander Sophie Lewis - known as Angel - is denying speaking to the Sun newspaper. A source close to Ms Lewis yesterday told the Weekend Herald the tabloid's claims were "complete lies".
The source said Ms Lewis had never approached the paper, and she had "no idea of who has gone to the media and said all of this".
The Sun said Ms Lewis had told a friend she had sex with one of four England players at the centre of sex-attack allegations under investigation by police.
