Vic: Nine women assaulted in Melbourne's northern suburbs

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2001
Vic: Nine women assaulted in Melbourne's northern suburbs

MELBOURNE, AUG 29 AAP - A man who has assaulted nine women after they alighted from
trams in Melbourne's north may have ridden on the same trams as his victims, police said
today.

Police have warned women to travel in numbers or have someone wait to meet them following
nine assaults in Brunswick and Pascoe Vale South within 17 days.

Police said the man, who was either lurking around tram stops or rode on the Route
55 West Brunswick trams with his victims, had attacked nine women from August 9-26.

Detective Senior Constable Paul Tymms (Tymms), of Brunswick police, today said the
man usually waited until dark before approaching women from behind, assaulting them and
then running away.

Det Sen Const Tymms described the attacker as a cowardly opportunist who had preyed
on women in their late teens to mid-40s who travelled alone.

"We believe he may be riding the trams and identifying victims while he is on the tram.

"And the possibility is he may be riding the trams and as he is exiting the trams he
is just keeping specific tram stops under surveillance until he identifies a victim,"

he told reporters.

"He could be planning his attacks and ... choosing his victims at random ...

"I would suggest that those would be females travelling alone, and he waits for them
to exit trams."

Police today called for witnesses and any other women who might have been attacked
to come forward.

The attacker is described as aged in the late teens to early 20s, 173-175cm tall and
of a thin build.

He has been seen wearing a dark beanie, dark bomber-style jacket and glasses.

AAP ac/gfr/cjh/sb

KEYWORD: ASSAULTS

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