Man arrested and charged with ‘horrific’ rape of young woman in Brisbane’s west
A man has been charged with assaulting and raping a young woman in what police have called a “horrific random attack” in Brisbane’s west.
The 23-year-old woman was on an early morning walk with a family member when she became separated from them along Brookfield Rd.
A short time later she was stopped by an unknown man near the Brookfield Rd bridge about 6.33am on Thursday.
Police allege the man was on his way to work in another location when he approached the woman from behind and dragged her into nearby bushes, assaulting her for “some time” before she managed to escape.
The woman fled across a creek and through dense bushland that led onto a nearby oval where she managed to contact a family member and triple-0.
She was later taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition and treated for injuries received during the assault.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said the alleged assault was a “horrific and confronting incident that no one should ever experience”.
“I acknowledge the victim and recognise her bravery in coming forward,” he said.
Massingham said the man is alleged to have left and driven himself to work 15 minutes away.
As detectives and specialist investigators searched dense bushland and a gully near the reported assault, they noticed a car and a man fitting the description of the alleged offender driving past on Thursday afternoon.
Police followed the car before pulling it over a short distance away on Moon Lane and arresting a 32-year-old man from Raceview.
Police said the man does not have any connections to Brookfield — a quite, leafy suburb 25 minutes west of Brisbane CBD.
He has since been charged with six counts of rape and one count each of stalking, assault with intent to commit rape, assault occasioning bodily harm and deprivation of liberty.
“We assure the community that police are committed to conducting an extensive investigation to ensure justice for the victim,” Massingham said.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on 7news.com.au — the content belongs to 7NEWS Australia.
