The scene at the camping grounds where a young girl was attacked in the caravan where the family was staying. Photo / Christine Cornege.
The scene at the camping grounds where a young girl was attacked in the caravan where the family was staying. Photo / Christine Cornege.
About 20 police staff have worked through Christmas to try to find a man who attacked a five-year-old girl as she slept in a caravan in Turangi last Wednesday night.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said the crime scene investigation had been completed and forensic analysis was ongoing.
Staff were continuingto trawl through hours of CCTV footage from the area, and were interviewing witnesses from as far afield as Wellington.
The brutal attack, believed to have been sexually motivated, left the girl requiring hours of surgery in Waikato Hospital, where she remained in a stable condition today.
The girl's family, on holiday from Europe, have received hundreds of messages, gifts and donations from appalled members of the public since the attack.
Her parents yesterday issued an emotional statement thanking New Zealanders for their support.
"What has happened is unimaginable. It's a drama, a tragedy not only for us but also for your beautiful country.
"However your support given to us is so incredible that it gives us a lot of strength. Our little daughter feels it too. Her recovery is going on and with every hour she feels better and better.''
