Dry Creek: Man charged after woman was allegedly raped, closed in car boot, shot at and chased through wetlands
A woman was allegedly raped, bundled into a car boot and shot at before being chased around wetlands at Dry Creek in a terrifying ordeal. A man has been charged over the incident.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A woman was allegedly raped, forced into a car boot and chased by a man armed with a gun in wetlands at Dry Creek on Friday night.
A 37-year-old man from Craigmore has been charged with unlawful detention and rape.
Detective Chief Inspector Billy Thompson said the woman, aged in her 30s, was sexually assaulted in Adelaide’s southern suburbs before being bundled into a red Ford Laser and driven north.
The woman is from the southern suburbs.
The man eventually pulled over on the Salisbury Highway at Dry Creek when he noticed the woman struggling in the boot.
As the car stopped, she escaped from the boot and ran for her life at about 8.15pm.
The man, who was believed to be dating the woman, allegedly fired several shots from a handgun in her direction, all missing.
Police say he continued to chase the woman through wetlands before she called triple-0 on her own mobile phone as she reached the safety of an On The Run service station, just off the Salisbury Highway.
Chief-Insp Thompson said: “The man is from the Craigmore suburb, so we act on the belief that he was returning to the Craigmore area, potentially,” he said.
“We do not believe that the couple were in a domestic relationship, but they have been known to each other.”
Chief-Insp Thompson said detectives believed the pair were dating - but the exact circumstances surrounding the attack are still being investigated.
“We located her reasonably quickly after the initial (triple-0) call - but she was quite disorientated from what she’s told us,” he said.
Police surrounded the wetlands near the highway and, with help from STAR Group officers and Polair, arrested the 37-year-old Craigmore man, who was hiding in bushes near the Watershed Cafe, at about 10.30pm.
He will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday.
The man’s Ford Laser was found dumped about 1km south of the Watershed Cafe and is now in the hands of detectives.
The woman was treated in hospital on Friday night and released shortly after. She had injuries “consistent with assault”, Chief-Insp Thompson said.
“She would have been very afraid last night ... to be in the middle of nowhere in the dark, not knowing where you are, trying to seek help, would have been very frightening for her.”
SES crews and police divers returned to the scene at 10am on Saturday morning and spent hours searching for the firearm in bushes and also under water.
A police spokesman said nothing of significance was found and the search concluded at 3pm.
Investigators want to speak to anyone who saw a red Ford Laser with SA registration S081-AXM near the Port River Expressway and Salisbury Highway.
If you have any information, call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000
