Two French tourists camping on the side of a rural Waikato
road were violently attacked after they were accused of not
paying "rent" to their attackers.
The couple - who had parked their camper van on a road near
Raglan - were woken early this morning by a man doing a haka.
Five drunk men then accused the French couple of staying on
private land and demanded payment.
Detective Sergeant Mata John of Ngaruawahia police said the
situation then escalated.
"The French male has then been punched and an attempt was
made to drag him out of the vehicle before the couple had a
variety of items taken from them and their attackers drove
off.
"Though not resulting in serious injury, this is type of
attack is concerning given the time it happened and the sense
of isolation the victims would have felt."
Ms John urged members of the public to come forward with
information on the five men believed to be involved.
"The Waikato and in fact the rest of the country prides
itself in being a safe, family friendly place to visit and
the police want to ensure we do our part to maintain that
hard earned reputation."
- Herald Online
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