Turangi boy arrested over attack on girl

The parents of the 5-year-old girl attacked at a Turangi holiday park have reacted with relief to police making an arrest in the case.

A 16-year-old Turangi boy will appear in court today charged with sexual violation, aggravated wounding and burglary.

Injuries to the girl's head, face and body required four hours of surgery after the attack last Wednesday. Last night, the girl's parents expressed their relief, and their gratitude towards police and the community. They said they regarded the attack as a "random act of evil" and did not hold Turangi responsible.

The family - believed to be Belgian - were vacationing at Club Habitat holiday park in Turangi on the night of the attack.

The girl and her 3-year-old brother were asleep in the family caravan. Her parents were metres away in an amenity block when the mother discovered the caravan locked and saw a male lying on her daughter. She screamed for help and when she returned with her husband, the offender was gone and their daughter was lying seriously injured in her bed.

Taupo District Mayor Rick Cooper said the entire community was relieved at the arrest. "A heinous crime was been committed a week ago and it's taken a lot of police to work through a lot of issues and forensic evidence to get this result.

"I'm sure all of Turangi will be as pleased as I am."

Police said the accused would appear in the Taupo Youth Court today. Their investigation had led them to be "interested" in the 16-year-old and they "negotiated his attendance" at the Turangi police station yesterday afternoon.

Detective Inspector Mark Loper said he was "extremely pleased" for the girl's family that police had been able to make the arrest within a week of the incident.

"This case has really touched the hearts of so many people in New Zealand, and staff from the police and ESR [forensics] have worked with dogged determination . . . That has included giving up precious family time over Christmas for which I must sincerely thank the staff and their families." The arrest followed an investigation in which police brought in specialist criminal profilers, interviewed people as far afield as Wellington, and conducted extensive forensic analysis of the crime scene and other items.

Police believe the girl may never remember anything about the sexually motivated attack because of her injuries.

Kiwis have responded to the attack with shame, inundating the family with donations, gifts and messages of support. "Most of the messages are saying: please forgive us," a Waikato Hospital spokeswoman said as the girl left hospital on Tuesday.

"The theme running through is a sense of shame . . . that this has happened in New Zealand."

Turangi residents donated $13,000 to the family, with local Vicki Ham presenting a cheque to police after passing around the collection bucket. "We can't make it right, so this is our way of showing that the community of Turangi do care," she said.

More than $8000 has also been donated into a Westpac account.

The resilient family plan to complete their New Zealand holiday. Fairfax NZ

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