Woman speaks out after being dragged into Brunswick alley by sex predator
A brave woman has spoken out about the terrifying moment a sex predator dragged her into an alley in Brunswick, as she walked home from a tram stop. She’s sharing her story in the hope the man will be caught.
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A woman who was dragged into an alley in a late-night sex attack moments from her home said she first thought it was a friend playing a “prank”.
April, who didn’t want her surname used, got off a tram in Brunswick and was walking home when she was stalked, grabbed and pulled into a dark alley by a stranger.
The attack happened on Luscombe St about 12.40am on January 8 as April, who is in her 30s, was on her way back from the city.
As the man tried to sexually assault her she struggled and managed to scream, which scared the predator, who let go and jumped on a bicycle and rode off.
She bravely spoke to the media on Friday afternoon, just days after the attack occurred.
“It makes me incredibly angry,” she said.
“My immediate thought was that someone was playing a prank, that maybe a friend or someone had seen me.
“When he started to try and pull me that’s when I realised that it was something much worse and I basically went into autopilot started screaming.”
April got off the number 6 tram on Lygon St about 11.50pm on January 7 and then walked to the Shell service station at the Glenlyon Rd intersection to get some food.
She said she had no idea the man was following her.
“The first thing I was aware of was two arms around me with my arms trapped to my side,” she said.
“Luckily for me he wasn’t a particularly strong person, so I was able to get away.
“He freaked out because I screamed so loudly and I managed to punch his hand away from my mouth.
“That’s I think when he realised that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted and he jumped on his bike … and cycled towards Lygon St.”
April said she was speaking out about the attack to help other women feel confident to come forward and challenge this behaviour if it happened to them.
“This kind of thing (needs) to be challenged and recognised as the real problem that is, particularly in the area of Brunswick and North Melbourne, where it’s happened a few times with much worse outcomes,” she said.
“We don’t know what this guy could do … in the future he could do the same thing and it could be a worse outcome for somebody else.
“No woman should feel like they can’t come forward.”
Sexual Crime Squad detective Inspector Juliann Goldrick said an extensive CCTV canvas of the area had revealed a second incident about 10 minutes earlier.
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“Another woman got off the same tram near the intersection of Lygon and Albert streets near the East Brunswick Hotel and the same man followed her,” she said.
“We’re not sure if that woman was aware of this man … however, we are appealing for that woman to come forward – she’s the only woman who got off the tram at that time.”
Detectives have released CCTV images of the man, described as about 170cm tall, of a thin build, wearing a blue and grey zip up hoodie, light coloured pants and a bike helmet.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.