Police need public help to solve 40-year-old intruder sex attack

Key points

• The attack occurred in Morwell in the early hours of November 6, 1983.
• It is believed the intruder had removed a flyscreen from the girl’s bedroom window to enter the home.
• Despite the significant amount of time that has passed, detectives are hopeful any new information from the public could shine fresh light on the incident.

Victoria Police are appealing to the public to help find an intruder who sexually assaulted a teenager in her bed in a Gippsland town almost 40 years ago.

The girl was attacked by a man who had broken into her Morwell home in the early hours of November 6, 1983.

Sexual crimes squad detective acting Inspector Tracy Johnston says no piece of information is too small when solving historical sexual assault cases.Credit:Scott McNaughton

The crime was reported to authorities at the time, but the case has remained cold – resulting in no arrests or charges – despite significant investigations carried out over many years.

The girl, who was then aged in her late teens, had been out for a night with her friends at the Astrodome in Traralgon, a popular nightclub and music venue in the east of Morwell.

She and two friends shared a taxi home, with the driver dropping her off last at her home about 1am.

According to police reports, the girl had run inside to get money for the driver, returned to pay, and went straight to bed once back inside.

Between 5am and 6am, she was awoken by an unknown man who had placed his hand over her mouth. The man reportedly told the woman “don’t make a noise or I’ll hurt you” and then climbed onto her and sexually assaulted her.

It is believed the intruder had removed a flyscreen from the girl’s bedroom window to enter the home. After the assault, the man reportedly jumped head-first out the window, consequently smashing the window with his foot as he fled.

Detective acting Inspector from the sexual crimes squad, Tracy Johnston, said any sexual assault was incredibly traumatic for the victim, especially when the feeling of safety and security in one’s home was compromised.

“Our victim has lived with the physical and emotional impacts of this assault for almost 40 years and investigators are determined to pursue every avenue of inquiry so we can provide her with the closure she deserves,” Johnston said.

Despite the significant amount of time that has passed, detectives are hopeful any new information from the public could shine fresh light on the incident and help bring the decades-old case to a close.

The perpetrator was described as a tall, stocky Caucasian man who had short, ginger hair, a moustache and a generally fair complexion. At the time of the assault, he was wearing a stocking over his head and possibly a flannelette shirt.

Johnston said no piece of information was ever too small in an investigation like this, and that anyone with information about the incident or the person responsible should come forward to the police.

“Historical sexual offending matters are incredibly complex, but we know people’s circumstances can change over time, and this appeal might be the prompt needed to help close a terrible chapter in someone’s life,” she said.

Johnston added that the authorities had already spoken to the people the victim-survivor had been out with that night, but it did not appear anything “untoward” was noticed while the group was at the Astrodome.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppers.com.au.

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