Long time reader (years online then signed up to the forum on Tapatalk a little while back) and first time poster.
I thought I'd share an experience I had when I was younger when I was attacked in an alley way in Heathridge close to my house. You can use Google maps to get an idea of what I'm talking about if you wish.
Early in 1993 (past March because it was already dark past 7pm), I walked out of my house on Ellendale Drive and entered a cauldersac called Crawley Grove. Between Crawley Grove and Fairlawn Gardens, there used to be an alley way (alley #1). Coming off Fairlawn Gardens, there was another alley way that led to Conidae Drive (alley #2). I believe that one is still there. The other one is not; I think they extended the fence lines of the properties either side.
As I walked down the alley #1, towards the end, I passed a guy with dark hair, taller than me, wearing a dark coloured tracksuit with dress shoes and carrying a briefcase type bag. That caught my attention because who the hell wears a tracksuit with dress shoes and carries a brief case? It was enough for 17yo me to turn around to look but he was gone. I believe that he came from Edgewater train station (had not been open long) but I can't confirm that as fact.
I entered alley #2 and when I got to the end, looked towards Day Place where a friend lived. It looked like no one was there so I turned around and headed back. Just over halfway down, the guy in the tracksuit was walking towards me. As I went to walk past, he bumped me with his shoulder quite hard and as I was spun off balance, he pulled my feet out from underneath me and I was taken to ground. Initially, I panicked and froze. He laying on top of me and I was pinned. I was only 45kg and he outweighed me. He moved his hand to the front of my pants and tried to get them down. He did have his hand in my pants at one point. I think what saved me was the drawstring was tied so tight, he wouldn't have been able to get them off easily. That and the fact that I then screamed like a motherf****r. I screamed for all I was worth. He then said in my ear "ok then" and got up and ran towards Conidae Drive. I went to the nearest house and had them call the Police.
The next day my dad took me to East Perth police station where I sat with a sketch artist and did the face composite thing. I then found out that this guy had attacked a girl in Kallaroo a few weeks before and our identikit pictures were almost identical. I was taken to the alley in the daylight too and you could clearly see where I hit the dirt off the concrete as my shoes had left big gouge marks in the sand.
I fell to pieces after that. Didn't want to go to school. Failed at English Lit. Developed this phobia of people touching my sides (just near my arm pits) that I still have today. I always wondered what was in that briefcase. Weapons? Rape kit? If I didn't scream, what would have happened to me? Would I have been seriously hurt? Killed even? Why was he wearing that tracksuit if he was carrying a briefcase? It was extremely obvious that I was attacked opportunistically but very intentionally because why turn back around and come after me?
I'm not saying this guy was BE. I'm not saying it wasn't. They're not that dissimilar in appearance anyway from memory. I wouldn't look at him now and say yeah that was the guy because I don't know. Even though I'm sketchy on the face details over time, I will not forget the dark hair, the clothes, the shoes, that briefcase and the sound of his voice.
He was never caught. I guess my point is that there was more than one lunatic on the loose terrorising girls in the 90's.
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