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‘Roast Buster’ style incidents widespread BY MYLES HUME
MYLES.H@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Incidents resembling the recent Roast Busters saga are more widespread in Mid Canterbury than the “isolated” case police are investigating, sources say. Ashburton police revealed this week they were investigating a complaint received last month over “an alleged incident involving inappropriate behaviour” following Guardian inquiries that young men were taking young girls for rides to remote locations and forcing them take part in inappropriate activities. A source close to a family involved in a similar incident said they were aware of at least three such cases since November, one which involved two girls under 16. Detective Sergeant Jennifer Hooke said she was not aware of any other complaints linked to the current investigation, but said “incidents of this type do come to police attention from time to time, and we have dealt with similar complaints in the past”. She could not comment on the specifics of the case, but said it was not uncommon for teenagers to make arrangements through texts or social media to sneak out and meet up with people, often driving to remote loca-
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tions to socialise and consume alcohol. She said in some cases that can result in reports of inappropriate sexual activities, involving “vulnerable” young girls. Safer Ashburton general manager Kevin Clifford said he had not dealt with such incidents, but heard of similar anecdotal stories. “If young people are finding themselves in vehicles being driven to odd places and making bad decisions the question is, where are the parents?” He said there was more accessibility to organise and carry out these acts due to the connectivity on social media, so parents needed to be aware of who their teenagers were talking to and what their movements were. Ms Hooke encouraged anyone with information or complaints about other incidents to contact police on 307-8400.
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