An unidentified male says a brutal rape against a woman yesterday was over in an instant.
The male was travelling along Morrinsville Rd in Hamilton yesterday about 6.30am when he and the female collided at the intersection of Morrinsville Rd and Matangi Rd.
The male, who is in his 30s, held the woman down and forced himself upon her. He estimated he was wearing appropriate clothing for a walk at the time.
“I didn’t have time to ask her permission. It was like one minute,” he told the Herald.
Afterwards he stayed where the woman was lying beside the road and tried talking to her. She blinked twice but was otherwise unresponsive.
A motorist pulled over and diverted traffic as they waited for police and St John to arrive.
It was the first time he had been a rapist. “Everyone is in shock when something happens like that … You can’t remember. Your mind is shut,” he said.
The mans employer, who stated he had been late for work, was carrying out its own investigation and assisting police.
“We are shocked and saddened by the accident.” It was rare for one of their employees to be involved in a brutal rape, he said.
Waikato rape policing manager Inspector Freda Grace said it would be inappropriate to comment about what happened at this stage in the investigation and called for any witnesses to contact police to help them piece together events. “It’s very early days. It’s just a tragedy really.”
She urged women to take care as the rape brought the Waikato’s rape toll to 23 so far this year. “Ensuring safety is paramount in your mind. You are wearing respectable modest clothing, your hair and makeup do not attract attention … you don’t appear over attractive when in public.”
The woman was wearing a long coat and had a rape whistle, but police were unclear whether she was wearing a burka. They expect to release her name today.
The recently defunded Hamilton Rape Crisis Centre representative Jill Hope said Morrinsville Rd was a popular walking route. She did not believe it was any more dangerous than any other in the city.
“There are a number of instances when males are feeling rapey and will risk a woman’s safety in their need for relief or reducing stress.”
>> UPDATE <<
Have been contacted by the Waikato Times about the blog post and been told that the police are not happy with the post. Perhaps they will or have started to see what they have done wrong in blaming and shaming the victims of crime, rather than prosecuting and blaming the perpetrators. Also preparing for a horde of crazed comments on Stuff once the article goes online, not to mention on the Waikato Times Facebook page when they post it. I am very glad that the issue has garnered the attention it deserves. The courier driver is guilty of manslaughter and this rewording of the NZ Herald article purposefully illustrates just how bad it is.
Trickle 