Expressing dissatisfaction with the way the Roast Busters sexual abuse case has been handled, New Zealand Police Minister Anne Tolley ordered an independent investigation on Wednesday into the way the case has been handled.
Despite four girls coming forward to police in 2011 and 2012, including one who made her complaint formal, police have not prosecuted the group at all.
Roast Busters is a self proclaimed nickname the group of about six men gave themselves, representing what they say has been consensual group sex with underage girls.
However, multiple members of the group have made comments online bragging about rape.
In a video circulating online, Joseph Levall Parker says: “Some of you guys think that this is a joke and stuff, but try, how about you try to get with the amount of girls that we do. It’s serious, it’s a job. We don’t do this for pleasure.”
“We don’t take time out of our daily lives to choose girls to roast,” Beraiah Hales said in the video. “We have girls hitting us up, wanting to hang out with us.”
“They know what we like--they know what they’re in for,” Parker added.
The Roast Busters had been naming girls involved in videos posted online.
A girl who says she’s one of the victims told 3TV: “I just kept blacking out because I had drunken obviously too much. I got raped. I had sex with three guys at the same time.”
Hales bragged about rape to people questioning him on the website Ask.fm, including:
Why he has never said what “you guys did to ‘that girl.’”
”I will go to jail hahahahahah,” Hales responded.
When someone said “ew, you know rape isn’t even funny,” Hales said “I take my job seriously.”
In response to another question about how he raped a specific girl, Hales said: “I know ^_^. It was funny cause I knocked her out first.”
When someone said “hey .. i am 8 years old ! ………… your cute !” Hales said “Hey … Im 16 and i rape.”
The public in Auckland has been shocked as the allegations have come to light over the past few weeks, and many are demanding prosecution of the youths involved.
Now Tolley has asked the Independent Police Conduct Authority to take up the case, particularly looking into the questioning of a 13 year old who said she was raped in 2011.
“Parents of young girls need to have confidence that complaints to police about sexual assault are investigated thoroughly and appropriately,” she said, reported Stuff.co.nz
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall told Tolley that there has been a comprehensive investigation, but she’s not satisfied.
“I have made it clear to the commissioner that I am disappointed that the full facts have not been available to me or to him,” said Tolley.
“The IPCA does have the power to carry out an independent assessment of the details surrounding these events, and I believe this is the right course of action to ensure the public has confidence in the police on this matter,” she added.
“I would again urge any young women who have been affected to come forward and talk to police as a first step in gathering evidence which can be used to bring people to justice.”
Police have up to this point said they would like to prosecute the youths but can’t because no girls have come forward.
“None of the girls have been brave enough to make formal statements to us so we can take that to a prosecution stage,” Detective Inspector Bruce Scott told 3News. “Clearly they are traumatised by what’s happened.
“We would love to take some positive action for these girls and others who may be victims in the future, but without actual evidence my hands are tied.”
A law expert told Stuff.co.nz that the public needs to know why police have decided not to prosecute the youths, calling the reasons given “vague.”
“There’s something missing here,” said Mark Henaghan, law faculty dean professor at the University of Otago.
“Is it complainants’ reliability? Vulnerability? I think the public need to hear what the sticking points are, they may be good reasons.”
“It’s very hard to say without having seen the evidence. But it’s a worry if police weren’t taking the complainants seriously,” he said.
“What also worried me this morning was I heard the police officer saying this was about moral conduct, it’s not about moral conduct if 17 and 18 year old boys are having sex with 13 year old girls - it’s a serious criminal offence.”
MORE:
Joseph Levall Parker, Son of Actor Anthony Parker, Fired From Job Amid ‘Roast Busters’ Probe
Beraiah Hales, at Center of ‘Roast Busters’ Scandal, Bragged Online About Rape
