After a five year investigation and an offer of a large reward police have finally made breakthrough arrests in relation to an alleged 2013 sexual assault.
Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad arrested a 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman as part of their investigation into the alleged sexual assault in North Melbourne in 2013.
The man is in police custody helping with their inquiries while the woman is expected to be interviewed in relation to perjury and false alibi offences.
Chloe* (pictured) was allegedly brutally assaulted and raped while on her way home and she has had to battle the trauma of that night ever since
Chloe (pictured) suffered horrific injuries during the alleged sexual assault in North Melbourne in 2013
Chloe bravely sat down with Victoria Police to make a video which it was hoped would help bring a conviction and prevent anyone else form suffering as she had.
She was on her way home from a night out with friends, for the first time since giving birth seven weeks prior.
She told police she was walking home and noticed a man walking behind her but it wasn’t until she crossed the road and saw him continue to follow her that she started to worry.
‘Walking up one street I noticed there was some guy behind me. And I crossed the road to go over to my street, I noticed he was behind me again,’ she said.
‘And then, yeah, after that all I remember is being hit in the side of the head.’
The breakthrough comes after a $500,000 reward was offered in August for any information which would lead to the arrest and conviction of the offender.
Chloe* said she has had to battle the trauma of that night ever since.
‘It destroyed me for a really long time,’ she said fighting back tears.
‘I was a new mum and I couldn’t be the mum I wanted to be because I was dealing with this.’
On top of dealing with the mental and physical trauma of the incident Chloe said it had a direct impact on her relationships with those around her, even her new born son.
‘It destroyed me for a really long time,’ Chloe (pictured) told Victoria police media of the alleged assault
‘As much as it damaged me I think it damaged me and my son’s relationship, my mum still can’t deal with it,’ she said.
And sadly Chloe has a daily reminder of that horrific night.
‘Every time I look in the mirror, there’s a scar on my face, there’s a reminder of what happened,’ she said.
Chloe bravely spoke to Victoria Police media about the incident with hopes it could bring the offender to justice and stop anyone else from suffering like she has.
‘Would you want this to happen to someone in your family?’ she said.
‘Because no one deserves that, no one.’
CCTV also caught Chloe walking home and the alleged offender following not far behind
Victoria Police Detective Senior Constable Jade Flynn also spoke about the incident in the video and said she truly believed someone had to have known the offender based on the CCTV footage available.
‘Obviously he has walked the entire length of King Street, the footage is clear enough that you would see it and you would know who that is,’ she said.
*Chloe’s name has been changed.
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