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Man extradited from Singapore to New Zealand faces rape, home invasion charges
Zhang Xuesong is accused of raping and strangling the victim and reportedly fled to China, and later Singapore, following the break-in
SCMP’s Asia desk
Published: 4:40pm, 25 Mar 2026
www.scmp.com
A Chinese national accused of raping and strangling a woman during a violent home invasion appeared in a New Zealand court on Wednesday to face charges, seven months after he was extradited from Singapore.
Zhang Xuesong reportedly fled to China following the alleged March 2024 Auckland break-in, complicating efforts to arrest him as no extradition treaty exists between the two countries.
The 41-year-old subsequently visited Singapore, where he was returned to New Zealand last September.
Zhang, who is also a Singapore resident, faces multiple charges including sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, indecent assault, aggravated burglary, strangulation, assault with a weapon and sexual violation by rape.
The real estate professional pleaded not guilty in the Auckland High Court, which set a trial date for March 2027, The New Zealand Herald reported.
He risks two decades behind bars if convicted of the top charges.
According to court documents, Zhang, wielding a knife, forced his way into the victim’s home and placed tape over her mouth. He allegedly held the blade to the woman’s throat before subjecting her to humiliating sexual acts.
Zhang is further accused of strangling the woman, dragging the weapon across her torso and threatening to kill her.
The case echoes a string of violent residential break-ins that have plagued Auckland in recent years.
Police arrested four men after a 100km (62 miles) chase sparked by an armed home intrusion and assault in 2024. The suspects allegedly threatened the victim with guns before fleeing the scene in Auckland.
In 2019, two brothers were sentenced to four years and four months in prison for storming into a home and brutally attacking two sleeping occupants.
A judge called the siblings’ behaviour “simply outrageous”. They also ransacked the house, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.
One man required surgery for a broken arm, while the other suffered lost teeth and needed facial stitches.
