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A woman was allegedly raped at gunpoint in her Sunshine Coast workplace on Thursday night, before being abducted and driven to Brisbane and back in a horrifying ordeal.
Police charged a 33-year-old man with a string of offences, including rape and kidnapping, early on Friday morning.
Detective Inspector Chris Toohey said police were alerted by a triple-0 call about 10.30pm from a Maud Street business in Maroochydore, which included “words that were concerning” before the call was terminated.
Sunshine Coast Detective Inspector Chris Toohey.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt
When police arrived at the scene, they realised the business was unattended. Once the store’s manager arrived, officers were able to view CCTV footage of the attack.
“Police were horrified with what they saw on the CCTV,” Toohey said.
“I’m talking about officers of 30-plus years who were immediately committed to saving the victim.”
What happened next was a 3½-hour ordeal, in which the woman was allegedly tied up and held captive as she was driven – in her own car – to Brisbane, where the vehicle was tracked by police.
Toohey said during their return trip, police were able to get behind the vehicle and free the victim at a park on Syd Lingard Drive, Buderim, at 2am on Friday.
“The car pulled over and the offender and the victim went into a toilet block, where police followed and were able to take the victim away and then get the offender for his arrest,” he said.
Toohey said the alleged offender and the victim were not known to each other.
“The offender’s motives for entering the store appear to be robbery, and then he has opportunistically taken advantage and sexually assaulted the victim,” he said.
The toilet block in Buderim where the man was arrested and the woman freed.Credit: Nine
The woman was at home from hospital on Friday and recovering from her ordeal, Toohey said, and would receive support over the coming days and weeks.
The accused man, who Toohey described as “transient”, was due to appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday.
He was charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault while armed, armed robbery, and one count each of kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, entering a premises with intent, unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and unlicensed driving.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said it was a shocking incident and that violence against retail workers should never be tolerated.
“It will be a matter before the courts now, so I can’t make any specific comments on that, other than I just want to thank our police and the community for doing everything they could to find the individual, apprehend the individual, and charge them as soon as possible,” he said.
“We just don’t want to see this stuff in our community. It’s shocking, and people will be appalled by it.”
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