Waitemata Police are continuing to investigate an assault on a female jogger, which happened in the North Shore suburb of Browns Bay in Auckland last week, and say it may be linked to similar assaults in the area.
The woman, in her 20s, was jogging along a clifftop path at the southern end of Browns Bay when she was assaulted at about 4.30pm on Friday 8th November, authorities have said.
The woman was moderately injured in the attack.
Police believe she was assaulted from behind by a man and are appealing for sightings of a male described as Māori, mid-20s, around 5-foot-10 and overweight.
The male was wearing a baseball cap and a dark short-sleeved top, and fled on foot onto Beechwood Road.
On October 10 and 24, two similar incidents occurred where females were assaulted on the clifftop track between Murrays Bay and Rothesay Bay, detective senior sergeant Callum McNeill said in a statement today.
“These incidents all occurred in daylight on popular sections of walking tracks and we believe there are members of the public who would have been in the area at these times and may have seen suspicious activity or a male fitting this description,” Mr McNeill said.
“We are investigating the possibility that these incidents are linked and I want to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can to identify the offender or offenders involved.
“I know these incidents have caused concern in the local North Shore and East Coast Bays communities.
“I want to reiterate that we are treating these incidents really seriously and we have a team of detectives carrying out a number of inquiries in relation to these assaults.
“We have also increased our police presence in the area and we will continue to do so.
“If you are exercising alone, we encourage you to be alert and aware of your surroundings."
Anyone who notices suspicious activity is asked to call 111 immediately.
Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact Waitemata Police on 105 and quote file number 191108/3003 or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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