SHE HAD TO RUN FOR HER LIFE TO ESCAPE..! – POLICE ALLEGE WOMAN WAS APPROACHED FROM BEHIND, DRAGGED INTO BUSHES AND A-SSAULTED FOR SOME TIME BEFORE SHE MANAGED TO BREAK FREE.
A man has been charged with assaulting and raping a young woman in what police have called a “horrific random attack” in Brisbane’s west.
The 23-year-old woman was on an early morning walk with a family member when she became separated from them along Brookfield Rd.
A short time later she was stopped by an unknown man near the Brookfield Rd bridge about 6.33am on Thursday.
Police allege the man was on his way to work in another location when he approached the woman from behind and dragged her into nearby bushes, assaulting her for “some time” before she managed to escape.
The woman fled across a creek and through dense bushland that led onto a nearby oval where she managed to contact a family member and triple-0.
She was later taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition and treated for injuries received during the assault.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said the alleged assault was a “horrific and confronting incident that no one should ever experience”.
“I acknowledge the victim and recognise her bravery in coming forward,” he said.
Massingham said the man is alleged to have left and driven himself to work 15 minutes away.
As detectives and specialist investigators searched dense bushland and a gully near the reported assault, they noticed a car and a man fitting the description of the alleged offender driving past on Thursday afternoon.
Police followed the car before pulling it over a short distance away on Moon Lane and arresting a 32-year-old man from Raceview.
Police said the man does not have any connections to Brookfield — a quite, leafy suburb 25 minutes west of Brisbane CBD.
He has since been charged with six counts of rape and one count each of stalking, assault with intent to commit rape, assault occasioning bodily harm and deprivation of liberty.
“We assure the community that police are committed to conducting an extensive investigation to ensure justice for the victim,” Massingham said.
“We acknowledge that this incident is confronting to the Brookfield community and I want to assure them and the wider Brisbane community as well that we are here to support you.”
He thanked media for their coverage which led to two witnesses coming forward with dashcam footage, which Massingham said was the “final piece in the puzzle”.
Investigators, SES and police divers continue to search for evidence and personal items believed to still be in the area.
The man is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
