Officers also investigated an attempted kidnapping in the area on October 23, 1998, in which a man approached two girls walking on the grounds of Upwey Secondary College at night to get directions and tried to force them to get into a car at gunpoint.
According to The Age, one of the girls was chased by the alleged assailant, who tried to drag her into the car. The teenager managed to break free and flee.
At the time, investigators were looking for a solid man in his 40s with short, gray-haired light brown hair driving a dark blue sedan and a garnet wagon with a mattress and curtains. He wore a hat at the time of the Belgrave and Clematis attacks.
Detectives said Wednesday they were investigating any links between the attacks and a series of other incidents in the Dandenong Mountains between 1996 and 2000 in which a man allegedly approached young women in remote areas, offered them a trip and he threatened them with a gun before sexually assaulting her. attacking them.
The incidents happened around Belgrave Rail Station, Wellington Road in Clematis, Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Belgrave, Selby and Menzies Creek. The victims were between 15 and 22 years old.
Investigators believe the man used different vehicles in the attacks, including a Toyota 4Runner with four-wheel drive grenade.
Officers are searching for bushes in the Dandenong Ranges area as part of Operation Collier. Credit: Nine News
Detective team crime detective Juliann Goldrick said the arrest was the result of an investigation into incidents that lasted more than two decades.
“Today’s result is a testament to the persistence and dedication of the detectives on the sex crime team, both past and present,” he said.
“No matter the time, we will continue to investigate these major crimes and try to find answers for victims of sexual assault.”
Goldrick said it was possible that other women had been assaulted in similar circumstances and had not reported the attack to police. “I ask you to consider introducing yourself and telling us your story,” he said.
Police want to talk to anyone who hitchhiked in the Dandenong Mountains between 1996 and 2000, including those who did so without incident, as they could have information that could provide investigators with the missing “puzzle pieces”.
This includes women who have been approached by a man in a vehicle in the Dandenong Ranges area and have been offered a ride or have been invited to board a vehicle, or anyone who has accepted a trip and has been threatened with a weapon or sexually assaulted.
The man will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or to send a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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