Police have charged a 51-year-old man over the alleged sexual assault of a woman and wilful damage of a taxi at Palm Beach on Sunday August 25.
Shortly before 4.00am, a taxi-driver picked up a 20-year-old Palm Beach woman from an establishment at Broadbeach.
A man approached the vehicle and asked if they were headed in the direction of ‘Tallebudgera’, before getting into the rear of the taxi.
The trio continued south. It will be alleged that during the journey, the man reached forward to the front-passenger seat and sexually assaulted the sleeping woman for approximately two minutes.
The driver stopped at Tahiti Avenue to drop the woman off, where the man has exited the vehicle, opened the front passenger-door and allegedly attempted to remove the woman from the taxi.
The driver quickly drove away, while the man allegedly grabbed onto the side sliding-door of the taxi and ripped it off its hinges, causing it to fall onto the street.
Following a public appeal, a 51-year-old Tallebudgera man was arrested last night and has now been charged with one count each of sexual assault and wilful damage.
He is scheduled to appear at the Southport Magistrates Court on November 28.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
