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Chris McKeen / Stuff
The couple appeared in Waitakere District Court on Wednesday.
Two men charged with historic sex crimes have appeared in Waitakere District Court, charged with sexual connection with a young man.
Police said the men are among a group of three who have pressed charges.
Ron Mansfield, acting on behalf of one of the 24-year-olds, requested pretrial detention without a guilty plea and provisional removal of the name, which was consented to by the police.
Another 24-year-old appeared shortly thereafter and was also placed in pre-trial detention without a guilty plea and granted provisional name removal.
The couple is co-accused of jointly offending another man for having sexual connection with a young man under 16 between December 2012 and February 2013.
The duo have been placed in custody on bail to reappear on January 15.
One of the men declined to comment on the charges from an external court.
Detective Inspector John Sutton previously said that Waitematā police had received a formal complaint earlier this year.
“As a result of the police investigation into this complaint, charges will be brought against three men of sexual connection to a person aged 12 to 16,” he said.
An arrest warrant will be sought for a third man who is abroad and will be arrested if he returns to New Zealand, Sutton said.
In all, 35 men were assessed as “persons of interest” and five suspects were identified.
The police questioned 110 girls as part of their investigation.
Of these, 25 girls refused to comment, but it is believed that they were victims of some kind of sexual crime.
Seven girls filed formal complaints with the police.
