Police believe they know who is the man responsible for 13 sexual assaults in the Altona North-Newport area between April 29 and August 10.
Superintendent Stuart Bateson told a community meeting in Newport on Wednesday that the prime suspect was aged in his early 30s and had three prior convictions for similar offences.
He said the man knew he was being monitored by police and moved out of the western suburbs shortly after the last attack.
“We think we know who it is,” Superintendent Bateson said.
“We think we know and we do not have the evidence to charge this particular guy, but we think he is our man.”
Most of the women were indecently assaulted in the vicinity of Mason Street in Newport and Altona North between 6am and 8am and 6pm and 8pm. They were approached from behind and grabbed underneath the bum.
Most of the women were exercising and wearing headphones.
The assailant was described as Caucasian, wore a dark hoodie pulled over his face and on two occasions was riding a mountain bike.
Superintendent Bateson said the prime suspect had three prior convictions for similar offences. “Two for being on a bicycle and riding up behind women and grabbing them on the bum in another part of Melbourne and another one where he ran up behind a jogger and did the same thing.
“He is a prolific thief – shoplifter, very petty crimes – and he’s in and out of police custody and got a long history of offending.
“We monitored him closely for a number of weeks and we picked him up doing some of that minor offending from time to time during that period of monitoring.
“He knew he was being closely watched during that time and he didn’t offend again, thankfully.
“What I can say is, he has now moved out of this area, which we’re very thankful for, and coincidentally since that time we haven’t had any further offences.”
Police have spent 1700 hours on the investigation and followed up 180 information reports from the public.
“We’ve interviewed all the locally registered sex offenders and we’ve reviewed all the sex offences that have occurred in Hobsons Bay in the last 12-18 months,” Superintendent Bateson said.
“We’ve investigated approximately 14 core suspects, really, and we’ve taken DNA from 16 individuals.”
Forensic experts examined victims’ clothing for trace DNA, obtaining one sample. However, police are “not confident” the DNA is the offender’s.
Superintendent Bateson said police were continuing to monitor the main suspect at his new location.
Police do not believe there is any connection between the 13 indecent assaults and a rape that occurred in the same area on August 16.
Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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