Police hunting three men who sexually assaulted a woman in Hamilton on Tuesday night have warned people to take basic precautions when enjoying a night on the town.
The 40-year-old woman was dragged into a car on central city Victoria St shortly before midnight and taken to Ruakiwi Rd, near Lake Domain Reserve, where she was sexually assaulted. The men fled, leaving the woman where she had been assaulted, said police.
Although the inquiry was in its early stages, police wanted the public to know the details in the hope it would help find the men, Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton said.
"All we are able to release at this stage is that the alleged offenders were three men in a grey-coloured, square-shaped four-door vehicle. If anyone was in the vicinity of the municipal pools or Ruakiwi Rd on Tuesday night around 11pm we would ask them to contact us."
Police were particularly keen to speak to a young couple who spoke to the victim after the attack not far from where it happened.
Mr Thornton said people out on the town needed to take basic precautions.
"Leave no-one behind. If you go as a group leave as a group, take a taxi or have a safe driver and know where everyone in your party is going and who they are going with," he said.
"Save enough for a taxi fare. That last $20 may be better spent arranging to get home safely than being spent over the bar.
"Keep an eye on your drinks and maintain your situational awareness," Mr Thornton said.
He said anyone with information should call him at the Hamilton police or the Crimestoppers line.
