Police seek couple who helped girl after Invercargill assault

Police are searching for a couple who assisted a young girl after she was seriously assaulted at Invercargill’s Queens Park on 2 October. The victim, understood to be a pre-teen, was reportedly forced to remove her clothes and made to eat mud from the shoes of two older girls. The attack was filmed and shared on social media.

The couple is described as travelling in a vehicle that may be orange or a similar colour. They picked the girl up between 10pm and midnight and took her home. While the exact location is unconfirmed, police believe she was collected from Kelvin, Gala, or Herbert streets near the park.

Two youths have been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery, indecent assault, kidnapping, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The pair appeared in the Invercargill Youth Court on Wednesday and are scheduled to reappear on 23 October.

Acting Detective Sergeant Chris Guild is appealing for witnesses or anyone who saw something unusual to contact police via 105 or online. The investigation is being tracked under file number 261004/6085.

Where reports differ

• One report describes the incident as a bullying incident, while others describe it as a serious assault

Compiled from reports by Stuff, Otago Daily Times, The Press, 1News and RNZ.