Police will address the media after launching an investigation into the reported sexual assault of a teenage girl in the Hunter region yesterday.
About 3.30pm (Wednesday 17 October 2018), a 14-year-old girl alighted a bus on the Pacific Highway near South Street, Windale, and walked along Yertala Close before entering scrubland, where she was approached by an unknown man armed with a knife.
The girl was dragged into the bushes and sexually assaulted. The man then ran from the scene and is believed to have driven away in a silver vehicle.
Police were notified after the girl reported the incident when she arrived home.
Emergency services attended the girl’s home before she was taken by NSW Ambulance paramedics to John Hunter Hospital for examination. She has returned home into the care of her family.
Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad and Lake Macquarie Police District have established Strike Force Kielpa to investigate the incident.
A crime scene has been established off the Pacific Highway, near South Street, which is currently being examined by specialist forensic officers.
Local police are also conducting a high-visibility policing operation throughout the area to complement investigative strategies.
The man has been described as being aged in his 30s or 40s, with a heavy build, a large belly and legs, a prominent nose and lips. He was last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, long dark-coloured pants, and white sneakers.
Investigators are urging anyone who may have been in the Windale area yesterday afternoon and noticed something suspicious to contact police.
In particular, they are seeking dash-cam vision from motorists who may have been travelling on the Pacific Highway or South Street between 3pm and 4pm to provide copies either to Belmont Police Station or upload it through the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
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