British teens sexually assaulted in NZ

A man has been charged with sexually assaulting two British women on holiday in New Zealand.

The women, believed to be in their teens, were subjected to a two-hour sex attack after a man broke into their campervan, which was parked in Tokomaru Bay on the north-eastern coast of the country's North Island.

Police said a 29-year-old local man had handed himself in and has been charged with three counts of sexual violation and two of kidnap.

The attack happened on Friday at about 1am local time shortly after the pair returned to their campervan following a night out at a nearby bar.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Ford of Gisborne Police said the victims had tried to ward off the attack by talking to the man about themselves and their families.

"They did all the right things in terms of trying to personalise the situation by talking to him about who they were and who he was."

But he said the man had overpowered both of them and subjected them to a series of sexual assaults over two hours before leaving the campervan.

Det Sgt Ford said: "It was a horrible ordeal that these two girls went through, not only because of what happened but also due to the prolonged nature of the attack."

In a TV interview, the women said they were determined to continue their holiday. One said: "He's not going to spoil it for us. He'd be winning."

In January, Scottish backpacker Karen Aim was murdered as she made her way back from a night out with friends in the North Island resort town of Taupo.

But Det Sgt Ford insisted New Zealand was a "very safe place" for tourists to visit, adding: "You can never get away from the fact there will be the odd, isolated incident."

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