Police: Child abduction likely planned
A child was abducted and sexually assaulted in Auckland a year ago, but police are yet to make an arrest.
The 11-year-old was kidnapped and subjected to a prolonged sexual attack after he got off a train in the west Auckland suburb Ranui on November 17, 2016.
Detective Inspector John Sutton said the kidnapping may have been pre-planned, but no arrests have been made.
‘‘Police believe at this time it is highly unlikely that this was a random attack,’’ he said.
Sutton said he was not in a position to discuss specific details of the ‘‘complex’’ investigation, but he did not believe there was any cause for alarm.
The boy had been walking in the direction of Ranui Station Rd towards his home at 3.55pm when a man in a grey van stopped to ask him for directions.
The man abducted the child, drove him to an unknown location where a four-hour assault took place.
He then dropped the boy back home around 8pm.
Sutton said it was not unusual for child abuse investigations to take long.
‘‘Due to a number of complexities they can take a significant period of time to resolve.’’
Sutton did not comment on
‘‘Police believe at this time it is highly unlikely that this was a random attack’’
whether the search for the mysterious grey van used to kidnap the boy was still on.
At the time of the incident police were urging people to come forward with information about the vehicle and had said ‘‘no piece of information is too small’’.
A group called Kiwis Unite raised almost $14,000 for the family through a Givealittle page.
Kiwi Unit founding member Anna-Marie Scroggin said the boy is being well-supported by professional agencies.
A trust would be set up for the donated money.
The mother of the 11-year-old could then make an application to the trust to fund the boy’s education, extra-curricular activities and any health costs.
Police confirmed the investigation into the boy’s abduction was still open. On November 24, 2016, police said they had received 80 phone calls from members of the public with tips and information. Police also increased police patrols around schools in Swanson and Ranui after the incident.