An Ōtara man has been jailed for an open-ended sentence of preventative detention after admitting to two disturbing sexual attacks on women carried out nearly a year apart in the same South Auckland reserve.
Police began investigating in February 2023 when a French tourist was assaulted in broad daylight at Ōtara Creek Reserve, but despite CCTV footage of the suspect on a BMX bike and a public appeal, the offender remained unidentified.
In January 2024, a local woman jogging through the reserve was indecently assaulted by a man who followed her into the area, prompting detectives to revisit the earlier unsolved case.
Police soon identified 33-year-old Johnathan Tamihana as responsible for both attacks, and he later pleaded guilty to indecent assault, threatening to kill, and assault with intent to commit sexual violation.
Sentenced at the Auckland High Court on Wednesday to preventative detention with a minimum non-parole period of five years, Tamihana was condemned by police for carrying out what they described as “appalling” violence.
