Gold Coast crime: Coast man charged with rape which allegedly occurred in 1982

A Gold Coast man has been charged with the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.

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A Gold Coast man has been charged with the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.

Police will allege the rape occurred at a Main Beach property in 1982, when the woman was 14.

The pair were known to each other, police said.

The man, who would have been 18 in 1982, was arrested on Friday.

The offence was reported to police in Mackay, where the woman resides, in February 2019.

Gold Coast Child Protection Investigation Unit officer-in-charge senior sergeant Troy Penrose said police spoke with a number of witnesses and seized evidence.

He said through investigations police were able to locate the man on the Gold Coast.

A 56-year-old Parkwood man was charged with one count of rape.

Officer in charge of Gold Coast Child Protection Unit Troy Penrose. Picture: Jerad Williams

“(This arrest) should provide a level of comfort and confidence to the community that matters relating to offences of a sexual nature will always be a priority for police to investigate regardless of how long ago this offence may have occurred,” Sen-Sgt Penrose said.

“(The time passed) certainly makes it more challenging in terms of securing evidence but it doesn’t negate our responsibility to undertake that role, and we’ll always investigate these matters as a priority.”

The man is expected to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on March 29.

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