Warning: This story contains details and content that some readers may find distressing.
Police allege a 27-year-old woman was going for a morning run at a popular walking track around Yeppen Lagoon at 10.30am on Sunday when she was attacked by a stranger.
“She was viciously attacked and sexually assaulted and raped on a number of occasions,” Detective Acting Inspector Kevin Mawdsley alleged.
“After the sexual attack was finished, the offender dragged her to the water area… which was the lagoon and attempted to drown her,” he added.
The alleged offender fled the scene, after which the victim walked several hundred metres, disorientated, in the search for help.
“She sighted some people in the backyard doing some gardening and went to them for help,” Mawdsley said.
Police swarmed the walking track around 11am on Sunday after a resident called emergency services to report the woman had run into their backyard, claiming she had been raped.
The victim was taken to Rockhampton Base Hospital, where she was medically treated and visited by forensics.
She is also receiving professional support.
“It’s a horrific incident. I can’t begin to imagine what she went through and she’s certainly displaying a huge amount of courage at the moment,” Mawdsley said.
After establishing a crime scene, police appealed to the public for information.
Investigators worked with interstate colleagues to identify a 27-year-old Victorian man as the suspect.
He was arrested in a car at Boat Harbour Drive in Hervey Bay about 11am yesterday, roughly 24 hours after the alleged attack.
Police allege a woman was in the car with him at the time, and he was on his way back to his home state.
“It will be alleged he was fleeing, trying to make attempts to get back to Victoria,” Mawdsley said.
The alleged offender was interviewed and charged with three counts of rape and one count of attempted murder.
He had only been in Rockhampton for a maximum of two weeks and was staying with people known to him, who are cooperating with police, Mawsdley said.
They are not accused of any wrongdoing.
The woman in the car where the alleged offender was arrested was known to him and is cooperating with police.
She was not involved in any of the offending, police said.
Police said the area was safe to return to, but additional vehicle and foot patrols would be deployed to bolster perceived safety.
“[It’s] an isolated incident we believe… it’s not the sort of thing that happens in our community often, hopefully it never happens again,” Mawdsley said.
Police intend to return to the area as they investigate the incident and have asked for anyone with information to come forward.
They are particularly seeking information or vision of a dark blue 2008 Toyota two-door hatchback from the Yeppen Lagoon area around the time of the alleged offence.
“Certainly if anyone believes they have information or may have sighted that vehicle before or after 10:30am on Sunday, 25 January, we’d be interested in that,” Mawdsley said.
“There is a bit of a gap in the timeline of our offender’s movements prior to the offence in particular, so we’d like to try to fill some of those gaps.”
The alleged offender was refused bail and will appear in court today.
Anybody with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
