Please attribute to Detective Inspector Haley Ryan, Wellington District CIB:
Wellington Police investigating an assault on a woman in Newtown this morning are seeking information and footage from the public.
The incident occurred on the footpath on Colombo Street at around 7:30am. The woman was approached from behind and when she turned around she was confronted by a man holding a knife. The victim found an opportunity to run from the man into a nearby address and call Police.?
Police are offering support to the victim, after what was a deeply concerning incident.
While the victim was not physically injured, she is understandably extremely shaken.
Police will also ensure we increase our presence in the Newton area to provide reassurance to that community.?
As part of our ongoing enquiries, we are seeking the public’s assistance to help identify and locate the alleged offender.
He is reported as being in his late 20s, Caucasian, and about 5’7 [170cm] in height, with a medium build.
He was wearing a grey jumper with a red hoodie underneath, grey pants and a hospital face mask.
We are asking for anyone who was in the areas of Colombo Street, Rintoul Street, Adelaide Road, and Riddiford Street, between the hours of 7am and 8am today and may have seen this man, to please contact Police.?
This male is probably a local resident and someone in our community may recognise the description provided by the victim.? We ask anyone who may know the identity of this male to also make contact with us.?
Additionally, if anyone has CCTV, dashcam, or video footage from the mentioned areas that may have captured the man at any point, please contact Police and we can come and collect the footage from you.
You can report information to Police via 105, either over the phone or online, referencing event number 250622/1969.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
We’d also like to remind people to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to Police, by calling 111 if it is happening now, or 105 if it is after the fact.
ENDS.
Issued by Police Media Centre