By Bill Hickman for RNZ
Police are investigating a Wellington man over “multiple complaints” of assault, which RNZ understands relate to sex crimes.
Two women - who did not want to be named - told RNZ they had been assaulted by the same man in incidents which occurred years apart.
Both said they had reported their experiences to police.
The women connected after a social media post about the man - which had since been deleted.
They said the post prompted several women to share information about the man, including allegations of rape, violence and use of alcohol or drugs to subdue victims.
Wellington District crime services manager John van den Heuvel confirmed detectives were working on “multiple complaints about an individual”.
He urged people not to engage in discussion or speculation of the man’s identity on social media or other public forums.
“We are aware there is concern and disquiet in the community about this, but we can’t resolve this over social media. In fact, rumour and speculation can potentially be harmful to our investigation.
“We don’t want people to take matters into their own hands. Leave it to the police to deal with,” he said.
Van den Heuvel said police had “dedicated detectives” following up the complaints and urged others to come forward.
“We need to hear people’s stories and analyse the evidence, but we can’t do anything if people don’t come to us.”
He assured potential complainants that their experiences would be treated with respect.
“We take these allegations seriously and we will work to ensure you have the appropriate support,” van den Heuvel said.
HELP executive director Kathryn McPhillips said the agency was ready to provide support to victims of sexual abuse, assault, or harassment.
“People can contact HELP services across the country, if they’re thinking about reporting to police or if they don’t know if they want to - please get in touch and we can help you figure out what it is that you want to do.
“There’s no statute of limitations on sexual violation complaints. The same with seeking help. It doesn’t matter how long ago this happened to you. We are there to support you.
“If you decide to report to police, then we can support you every step of the way.”
A rescue helicopter and several Hato Hone St John staff are attending the scene in Oxford.