Overview
- A 23-year-old woman was allegedly approached near Flemington Station and dragged into bushland in Airey Park on September 18, where she was sexually assaulted and left injured.
- The woman reported the attack to police in the days after the incident and her report prompted a two-week investigation led by Auburn Police Area Command and the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad.
- Police executed a search warrant in Padstow on Thursday, arresting 27-year-old Jesse Lee Hardy and seizing several items for forensic examination.
- Hardy has been charged with aggravated sexual assault causing actual bodily harm, intentionally choking without consent, taking a person with intent to commit a serious indictable offence, and stalking and intimidating, and he was refused bail.
- The case highlights the role of victim reporting and forensic work in building prosecutions and is likely to prompt local concerns about parkland safety and calls for policing or safety measures around late-night walking routes; support services such as 1800RESPECT are available for those affected.