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TWO victims of Melbourne's "hot chocolate rapist" urged other women to come forward to catch their attacker, almost 10 years after his sex crime spree stopped.
Detectives said today they had received new information from two anonymous callers which may lead them to identifying the man who raped 22 women in Melbourne between 1995 and 1998.
"We have received recently some information that hopefully will lead to some more information coming to us that will lead to the identity of the person responsible for this series of crimes," Detective Acting Inspector Chris O'Connor said.
Police wwould not divulge the new information.
The attacker was dubbed the hot chocolate rapist because he picked women up from outside Melbourne nightclubs, offering them a lift home and buying them a hot drink he laced with sedatives before sexually assaulting them.
The sex assaults occurred in South Melbourne, St Kilda, Prahran, South Yarra and the CBD, but ended in late 1998, police said.
Two of his victims, Sophie and Rachael, said today they accepted a lift from the man after leaving a South Melbourne nightclub in 1997.
With no money and facing the prospect of a long walk home in high heels, the women decided the man looked trustworthy.
"We thought we were safe because we hadn't been drinking and we were together," Sophie said.
Rachael said she became concerned when Sophie became drowsy after drinking a hot chocolate the man bought her on the way home.
When they arrived at their apartment block the man began to grope Sophie, but Rachael managed to persuade him to leave.
Both women dismissed the incident until several months later.
"Eight months later there was a newspaper article that came out, and it said there was a hot chocolate rapist and he had actually raped a certain amount of women," Sophie said.
"That's when we came forward to give our statements (to police)."
Sophie appealed to other victims to come forward.
"If they can come forward and give their recollection of stories ... those small details may make a difference to the case," she said.
Det-Insp O'Connor said the rapist was believed to work in the medical profession which would give him access to pharmaceutical products.
But police were baffled as to why the rapes stopped in late 1998.
"It may well be that the person has been incarcerated, or the person may be dead, they may be overseas or interstate," Det-Insp O'Connor said. |
be very afraid kids. |
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