Three dads run to woman's rescue

File photo / Herald on Sunday

The teenaged boy charged with the indecent assault of a woman in a South Auckland alleyway was caught by three young dads who heard her screaming.

The men came running from a property across the fence, which until Tuesday was the home of an 8-year-old girl raped in the same spot on Monday last week.

"One of the dads said he had children of his own and wouldn't like to see that happen," said Elaine Lolesio, manager of a nearby emergency accommodation house.

A 14-year-old boy appeared in the Manukau Youth Court yesterday in relation to the indecent assault of a 29-year-old woman about 2pm on Tuesday.

Heavy suppression orders were in place and Judge Jane Lovell-Smith warned media not to identify the youth. She remanded him until next Monday.

The court appearance followed a large-scale police inquiry into sex attacks on females from 8 to 28.

Four daylight attacks, including the rape of the 8-year-old, have been committed in the tree-lined alleyway that runs behind Nga Iwi Primary School in Mangere.

Three were in the past fortnight, but one attack was on September 8, when a 12-year-old girl was dragged and assaulted.

Fathers Lila Crichton, George Sila and Tony Morris were at the emergency house on Tuesday afternoon when they heard a woman screaming.

She had been walking back from the local supermarket with groceries, according to police.

The trio ran out to the notorious "black spot" of the alleyway - which has no lighting and is flanked by trees - grabbed the teenager and hauled him inside to call the police.

About 15 minutes before, the officer in charge of the sex offender investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Darrell Harpur, had spoken to media in that very spot.

Mr Harpur yesterday said police were "keeping an open mind" about who was responsible for the string of attacks.

He urged anyone with information about the offender - described as a Polynesian man aged 18 to 20 of medium build and about 1.65m tall - to contact police or tell Maori wardens patrolling the area immediately.

"We also encourage people in the area to be vigilant with safety, walk in pairs and for children to be with adults when possible."

Mangere Maori wardens are working with police patrolling the neighbourhood.