Police in New Zealand say they're powerless to arrest two boys
who've caused outrage with online boasts about raping underage girls too drunk
to fight back.
The alleged offences happened two
years ago but were only made public this week after local media came across a
Facebook site, which named and "slut-shamed" girls the boys had
allegedly attacked.
Her face and voice disguised, one
of the alleged victims told 3 News: "I just kept blacking out 'cause I had
drunken too much... You could say I got raped. I had sex with three guys at one
time."
The alleged offenders -- a group
of then school-aged boys -- call themselves the "Roast Busters."
Until this week police say they'd been boasting of their exploits on a number
of websites, including Ask.fm and Twitter as well as the Facebook site which
has been shut down.
In a video posted to YouTube, two
boys made no attempt to hide their faces as they told the camera: "We
don't choose the roast, the roast chooses us ... They know what we're like;
they know what they're in for."
Prime Minister John Key described
the boys' comments as "extremely disturbing and disgusting" but
appeared to sympathize with police who say they're unable to file charges until
one of the alleged victims makes a formal statement. And despite one of the
girls appearing on TV, police say no one is willing as of yet to file a
official complaint.
Police say they have been
actively monitoring the group since the alleged offences were committed in
2011.
They say the Facebook site
appeared for the first time for a couple of months earlier this year, and
reappeared a few weeks ago. Officers had been monitoring the site for enough
evidence to warrant an arrest but were unable to find any before 3 News
informed Facebook of its existence and had the page shut down.
Police say they've spoken with
the boys, but they have not admitted anything that constitutes a criminal
offence.
"We have interviewed two of
the boys [on Monday] again but we're still not in a position to take immediate
action," Waitemata police District Commander Superintendent Bill Searle
told CNN.
"The online claims
themselves are not enough to warrant a prosecution. They might be morally
inappropriate and unacceptable to us but we have to deal with evidence that
would be admissible in a court of law and we haven't got to that stage
yet," he said.
Searle refuted allegations that
no action had been taken because one of the boys is an officer's son. The other
is said to be the son of a Hollywood actor, according to local press reports.
"NZ Police take any
allegations of criminal offending by any of its officers or their families
extremely seriously and recent cases have highlighted that police will not
hesitate to thoroughly investigate staff facing allegations of a criminal
nature and will put them before the court if there is a case to answer,"
Searle said in a statement.
Police declined to confirm how
many boys were involved in "Roast Busters," but said the two
ringleaders led a "core group," as well as "an associated
group." The boys were attending at least two different schools at the time
the alleged offences were committed, but all have since graduated, police said.
It's believed they're now around 17 to 18 years old.
Police also declined to confirm
how many victims were involved but said it was "a relatively small
number" and confirmed at least one had attempted suicide.
"There's no doubt they've
been severely traumatized by their involvement," Searle said. Police have
been counseling the girls since the alleged offence was reported, but have yet
to convince any to come forward and file a formal complaint.
"We understand it's a very
difficult situation for them -- and it would be a very difficult situation for
them if they were to come forward for a court case," Searle said.
The case has inspired a number of
online vigilante groups, and police said they were monitoring online death
threats made against the boys and that action would be taken if "anybody
oversteps the mark."
On 3 News on Tuesday evening, a
group of five girls aged between 16 and 19 defended the boys as "good
guys."
"People know that they are
Roast Busters and they go hang out with them and do stuff [... ] I don't think
they're rapists, they're actually pretty cool dudes," one said.
Asked whether "drunken group
sex" was normal behavior, another said: "It's normal in west
Auckland... Not for everybody though it's just the young ones 13 to 15 year
olds -- that's what they do."
New Zealand Police Minister Anne
Tolley told CNN she was satisfied that "police are doing everything in
their powers to resolve this case."
Efforts are also underway to
tighten the laws on cyber bullying in New Zealand.
On Tuesday, a new bill was
introduced to parliament which proposes a three-year prison sentence for
posting material online with an "intent to cause harm" as well as
other measures to stop cyber bullying.
"No longer is bullying
confined to the classroom or playground -- the digital age has meant tormenters
can harass their target anywhere, at any time and the trails of abuse remain in
cyberspace forever," Justice Minister Judith Collins said in a statement.
"The Harmful Digital
Communications Bill sends a strong message to those who continue to harass and
harm others online -- time's up."
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