Teen Rape Club Accused of Having Group Sex With Drunk Underage Girls Then Publicly Shaming Them Online Sparks Outrage
A club of teenage boys, including the son of a famous Hollywood actor, accused of having group sex with, or raping, drunk, sometimes underage girls, then publicly shaming them online has sparked outrage in New Zealand with many now calling for their arrest.
At the center of the allegations are two of the clubs reported ringleaders, Joseph Levall Parker, son of Hollywood actor Anthony Ray Parker, and his friend Beraiah Hales, who are both prominently featured on the group's Facebook page.
With none of their victims willing to testify against them according to an earlier 3 News report, local police had said their hands were tied, but recent reports have indicated otherwise, and they have promised to take a second look.
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The club of 17- and 18-year-old men who call themselves "Roast Busters" bragged online about their exploits with their victims and referred to the girls as "roast."
"We take what we do seriously - some of you think this is a joke, it's not," said one of the young men in a video uploaded to Facebook, which has since been removed from the social network. "You try and get with the amount of girls we do. This is hard, it's a job, we don't do this s**t for pleasure."
About five months ago, the club began using Facebook to recruit more members and name their victims.
"A true roast is where you know you are going there intentionally to roast this female," noted one of the teens in a video from the Facebook page. "We don't choose a roast, the roast chooses us. We have girls hitting us up to 'hang out with us'. They know what we're like; they know what they're in for."
Local police confirmed that they had been investigating the group since it was formed in 2011 and were aware of the rape allegations but could do nothing because none of the girls had come forward to lodge a formal complaint.
"None of the girls have been brave enough to make formal statements to us so we can take that to a prosecution stage," explained Detective Inspector Bruce Scott to 3 News. "Clearly they are traumatized by what's happened."
"We would love to take some positive action for these girls and others who may be victims in the future, but without actual evidence my hands are tied."
On Wednesday, however, New Zealand police admitted in another 3 News report that a 13-year-old girl was alleged rape by the club two years ago.
Officers had asked her to re-enact what happened to her using dolls. "It was traumatizing," she said.
According to that report Waitematä Police District Commander Superintendent Bill Searle said the case would be reviewed again.
"I was briefed there was no formal complaint. As far as I'm concerned what the lady said was a formal complaint. I'd like to apologize to her for any stress that this would have caused," he told 3 News.
On Tuesday, The New Zealand Herald reported that Joseph Levall Parker, son of Hollywood actor Anthony Ray Parker, famous for his role in the popular Matrix movie, was fired from his job at an Auckland real estate office for his role in the controversy.
His father, who also has two other children living in New Zealand, reportedly declined commenting and only noted on his Facebook page that he became a dad on Sunday night when the scandal broke.
A number of vigilante groups are also threatening to take matters into their own hands if the group is not prosecuted.
On Thursday, however, a Facebook page allegedly belonging to the Roast Busters noted: "F**k the Haters. Most people knew about Roast Busters before it was on the news and they didn't care, now it's been on the news everyone cares."
One woman however called them pigs that Jesus hated.
"I can't express how disturbing it was to read about your group today. You're pigs. Your mothers hate you. Your grandmothers, sisters, and future daughters will hate you. Now that people know who you are, they all hate you too. Jesus hates you. I can only hope that your next adventure would leave you as eunuchs. Joseph Levall Parker & Beraiah Hales are two of the men who are reputed to be involved in the group," wrote Dana Beeman.
