Three men face charges seven years after Roast Busters case

Charges will be filed against three men of sexual connection with a person aged 12-16. Detective Inspector John Sutton

Two men have been charged and a warrant issued for a third man more than seven years after members of the “Roast Busters” boasted on social media about allegedy having sex with drunk and underage girls.

The “Roast Busters” became notorious in 2013 when the group of mostly West Auckland teenage boys bragged on their Facebook page about alleged sex acts with girls as young as 13.

The saga raised questions about alcohol and consent and became a national scandal, when it emerged the police failed in the first instance to properly investigate complaints from several young women.

The publicity prompted a second investigation, Operation Clover, which identified 110 girls who had social contact with the so-called “Roast Busters — a play on the Ghostbusters film and a euphemism for a sex act.

Five of the girls made formal complaints to detectives, and the police were concerned about 25 others but they declined to make a formal statement. No charges were laid as a result of Operation Clover, however, the police announced in

October 2014.

Six years later, three men face charges.

In a statement, Detective Inspector John Sutton said Waitemata¯ Police received a formal complaint from an individual earlier this year in relation to alleged sexual offending involving three males in 2013. “As a result of police’s investigation into this complaint, charges will be filed against three men of sexual connection with a person aged 12-16.”

Sutton said two 24-year-old men will appear in the Waita¯kere District

Court on December 23.

“A warrant to arrest will be sought for a third man, who currently resides overseas. That person will be arrested if he returns to New Zealand,” said Sutton. “As the matter is before the courts, police are not in a position to comment further.”

The prosecution comes five years after a report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority which identified failures in how police originally investigated complaints and concerns about the “Roast Busters” dating back to 2011.