WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault.
Sydney police are looking for a Good Samaritan who helped rescue a West African 17-year-old from a horrific weeks-long ordeal as a captive sex slave.
According to investigators, the girl was brought to Australia from Guinea by a man she met there who told her he could get her work as a cleaner. Instead, she was locked in a room in a Sydney unit and raped repeatedly by a number of men.
Incredibly, she was able to escape, and a woman known only as Nicole picked her up on the street and took her to the Asylum Seeker Centre in Newtown on April 27.
Sex Crime Command‘s squad commander Mick Haddow told reporters today:
“The girl has told us she escaped from a unit and was picked up by a lady known as Nicole, and taken in what she describes as a small red hatchback to the Asylum Seeker Centre.“This is a case where there are a lot of questions and not enough answers. We are seeking help from this person Nicole.“The girl has escaped from the unit and flagged down a vehicle, waved to get attention. Nicole is a really important witness and valuable source of information for us in terms of identifying the crime scene.”
Language and cultural barriers have made taking a statement from the girl difficult, and police are hoping the woman who helped to save her can help them find the location of the unit where she was held.
“Attempts have been made [to locate the unit] but it’s very difficult for a 17-year-old girl from West Africa to try and describe streets in and around suburbs such as Newtown.”
The girl is currently being cared for by Family and Community Services.
Source: News.com.au.
Image: Westend61 / Getty.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
