Police have charged a man with the alleged 1988 rape of a young woman in a Melbourne inner suburb.
The 57-year-old man was arrested in Queensland last week and extradited to Victoria yesterday where he was charged with charges including rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Police allege that on January 23, 1988, a 19-year-old woman was walking along Carlisle Street, in St Kilda, when she was grabbed by an unknown man.
The victim was then allegedly driven to Elwood Beach where she was sexually assaulted.
The incident was reported to police at the time, but an offender was not identified.
In May 2021, further information came to light and detectives reopened the investigation.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Brett Robinson said he hoped the man’s arrest would bring some “closure and relief” for the woman.
“To be a 19-year-old woman, happily walking home after a fun night out, who suddenly had her world changed instantly in this way, is unimaginable.”
“Detectives did not give up on this investigation, in the hope we could bring justice for this horrific crime.”
The accused has been remanded and is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court next January.
