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Hitchhiker sexually assaulted in Melbourne

Victorian police have released a photofit image of a man they say sexually assaulted a hitchhiker in Melbourne's southeast.

artist impression of a man wanted for sexually assault
A photofit image of a man Victoria Police allege sexually assaulted a woman in July. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Police have released an image of a man wanted for the roadside rape of a Melbourne woman he'd just consoled and offered a lift to because she'd had an argument with a friend.

The 49-year-old Pakenham mother was attacked after accepting a ride from the man in Beaconsfield on July 30.

The man was driving a white, flat-tray ute, is believed to be aged in his 50s and may be from the Warragul area.

He stopped the ute and struck up a conversation with the woman before he threw his weight on top of her and raped her, police say.

"She'd been at a friend's house and there had been a disagreement there and she had decided to walk home," Detective Senior Constable Steve Phillips told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

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"He said, 'I can take you somewhere, we can have a chat'. She thought he was a nice guy and they were talking about general issues with her relationship and different things."

Following the attack the man was "quite derogatory and said she was frigid", dumping her out of the car, Const Phillips said.

The victim was unable to get the car's registration number when the man dropped her off near her house a short time after the attack.

She was scheduled to attend the police media conference but cancelled as she was too traumatised to relive the incident, Const Phillips said.

Victoria Police on Tuesday released a photofit image of the alleged offender, who has sandy, curly hair and an Australian accent.


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