Episode 44 - Joseph Thompson: New Zealand’s first serial rapist.

In the late 1980s, Auckland was considered a safe place and somewhere to raise a family. Parents were comfortable leaving their young teens home alone at night, and young women often walked home alone after dark. That was until New Zealand police discovered the possibility that a serial rapist was operating in the South Auckland area. Citizens became gripped with fear, installing greater security in their homes and sleeping next to weapons, in some areas, vigilante justice groups formed with the hope of catching the serial offender. Advances in DNA technology and criminal profiling led police to the doorstep of Joseph Thompson, who answered the door with: “I’ve been waiting for you guys.”