A 32-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in Melbourne’s Mayer Park last night in Thornbury.
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The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, told police she was walking her dog at around 10.30pm when she noticed a man acting suspiciously. To avoid him she walked into Mayer Park, however the man followed her and asked for her help, saying he’d lost an item.
He then revealed he had a knife, and pushed her to the ground, sexually assaulting the woman.
According to Detective Acting Inspector Janet Mitchell of Victoria Police, the woman managed to grab the knife during the assault, using it to fight the attacker off.
“She believes that when she took the knife and went to defend herself that she made contact with the offender and we believe there is blood at the scene,” Mitchell told ABC.
The woman then fled with her dog, seeking help from a driver near the scene. She was hospitalised overnight, and the park was closed to visitors until 7am this morning.
“I think the woman was very brave to act the way she did. She obviously made an assessment and a decision on how she would handle it and it turned out very well for her,” said Mitchell.
Police are still looking to identify the attacker – he is described as Caucasian, in his early 20s and of medium height with brown hair. He was wearing loose pants and a hoodie, and may be looking for medical attention regarding a stab wound.
Victoria Police wish to speak to this man over the disturbing sexual assault of a woman at Mayer Park, Thornbury. He is likely injured (stab wound inflicted by victim). Full story @theheraldsun https://t.co/vYVFc19uIE pic.twitter.com/rv4G72pQPw
— Aneeka Simonis (@AneekaSimonis) October 20, 2019
If you see anything suspicious or have any information regarding the attack, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
