Invercargill mayor condemns ‘bunch of thugs’ involved in park attacks

Source: Radio New Zealand

Invercargill’s mayor is condemning the “bunch of thugs” who attacked two people they lured into a public park through dating apps.

One person was critically injured and another seriously injured after separate assaults in the Queen’s Park area on Friday 8 May and Sunday 10 May.

Southland police were urging people not to share violent videos of assaults circulating online although they could not confirm the footage was linked to the park attacks.

Mayor Tom Campbell said the city was in shock and he wanted the culprits found fast.

“I think it’s a bunch of thugs and I just wish they would crawl back under any rock they slithered out of or just go away, just leave Invercargill because you are not welcome here,” he said.

“We’re not a community that’s used to that kind of thuggery. We’ve got a relatively low crime rate compared to the rest of New Zealand. We’re always considered one of the safest places in New Zealand.”

The council has handed CCTV footage to police but Campbell said big parks were impossible to fully light or patrol.

“I hope that people are thinking about their own safety. I hope they aren’t going into any darkened areas or if they are going to meet somebody, that they tell a friend or a member of their family where they’re going and they keep in contact with them by phone,” he said.

“Clearly we do have a bunch of thugs running around some place. I’ve got no doubt at all that the police will catch them but in the meantime, just let’s be careful out there.”

On a sunny autumn afternoon in Queens Park, families pushing strollers and dog-walkers said its long tree-lined walks and gardens were their favourite part of the city but now that had been tainted.

“I’m concerned more than I’m surprised. Times are changing,” one park-goer said.

Dick, who has been playing music in Queens Park for the past decade, said he was shocked by the attacks.

“It’s awful that that is kind of happening to this absolutely gorgeous place. This is just one of the most beautiful places in the world I think,” he said.

Carolyn described the park as her happy place and said she was devastated to hear about the assaults.

“I do believe that this is such a precious place but unfortunately there are people just around that are just nasty really,” she said.

“But why would you come here when it’s dark? I love this place but I would not come here in the dark.”

Police said the videos were being investigated in connection to a number of reported assaults linked to dating apps.

Both of the Queens Park attacks involved more than one attacker.

Acting Inspector Mel Robertson said police believed criminals were following online trends to use dating platforms to meet people with the intention of violently assaulting them, filming it and sharing it online.

“We strongly urge people not to share these videos or encourage this behaviour. It is abhorrent, callous offending and completely unnecessary in our community,” she said.

Invercargill city councillor Steve Broad was gutted about the attacks and hoped changes would be made to help keep people as safe as possible.

People had approached him with fears the attacks were homophobic.

“I find the attacks really sad as an individual. I’m probably still grappling with it on a personal level as well. The journey of me being gay, particularly through my teenage and young adult years, was one that … you didn’t always feel safe to be yourself,” he said.

“These attacks certainly resonate with me on that level.”

Broad, who was also the chief executive of Y Southland, said it was a reminder for the LGBTTQIA+ community that there was great hope and progress being made but they should still be vigilant.

“It’s a moment where the community gets to send a message to each other around who we are and that we are certainly as a community far, far bigger than this, far more accepting and far more safe than this,” he said.

Police were working to confirm whether the two Invercargill attacks were linked and which app was used.

Robertson said there was currently no information to suggest certain groups were being targeted but people using dating apps should take precautions to keep themselves safe.

That included letting a trusted person know where you were going and your movements and always meeting people in public places, she said.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand