Youths boast online about gang rapes

New Zealand police are investigating a gang of young males who boasted online about stupefying underage girls with alcohol then having group sex with them.

In a case that has raised concerns about how to police online bullying, prime minister John Key said the claims made by the Auckland-based group were “abhorrent” but were difficult to prosecute without hard evidence.

“It’s just extremely disturbing and disgusting behaviour and these young guys should grow up,” Key told reporters. “It’s very difficult to progress these issues if someone is unwilling to make a complaint and it’s a very challenging position for a young woman to put herself in.”

The group, calling themselves “Roast Busters” and mostly reportedly aged in their late teens, bragged about using social media to meet girls as young as 13 then have sex with them after plying them with drinks, TV3 reported.

It said the men named their alleged victims in videos posted on a Facebook page, which has since been taken down.

One underage girl said the group preyed on her after giving her so much alcohol she kept blacking out. “You could say I got raped. I had sex with three guys at one time,” she said.

Key said his government was introducing cyber-bullying laws that will allow police to prosecute internet users who try to sexually humiliate victims online.