1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: It's this situation in Casarina which occurred last Wednesday afternoon, 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: about two point fifty in the afternoon. Northern Territory Police 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: are calling for witnesses to a sexual assault that occurred 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: in Casarina. Now joining me on the line to tell 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: us a little bit more is the Northern Territory Police 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: Senior Sergeant Gavin Hopwood. Good morning to you. 7 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 2: Gavin, Good morning Katie. How are you Yeah, really. 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: Well, it sounds as though our Territory police have had 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: an absolutely busy weekend Gavin. This situation in Casarina last 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: Wednesday sounds absolutely horrific. 11 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: Yes, it was a horrific ordeal for the young lady involved. 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: Gavin, give us a little bit more detail if you can, 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: I understand. About two point thirty in the afternoon, the 14 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: police responded to the report. 15 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: Yes, that's right, Katie, approximately three o'clock. It was on 16 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 2: Wednesday the sixth we had a report coming from the 17 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: public of a a b to be a sexual assault 18 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 2: occurring in public near the roundabout there the Dripstone and 19 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 2: Lakeside Drive in Casarina. Police were quick on the scene 20 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 2: and arrested a man. At that time we established a 21 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 2: crime scene shortly afterwards and began to process that scene. 22 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: Gavin, do we have any idea if the victim was 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: known to the offender? 24 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 2: Information we have is that they weren't known to each other. However, 25 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 2: we do believe that there are some witnesses out there 26 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 2: who know both parties and leading up to this assault, 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 2: may have some vital information that could assist us with 28 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 2: our inquiries. 29 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: Gavin. Do we know the age of the woman who 30 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: was assaulted, Yes. 31 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 2: She's a forty six year old family. 32 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: And Gavin, do we know if she was Was she 33 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: in the area, you know, walking home or for work 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: or what was going on in the area at the time. 35 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,119 Speaker 2: Yes, we believe she was in the area with other 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 2: people at the time. She was a part of a 37 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: group of people who were in frequenting that area, and 38 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: the gentleman may have approached that group shortly before the assault. 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 1: It sounds like it was a frightening ordeal, no doubt 40 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: about it. Gavin. When did obviously, the police first started 41 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: receiving reports from I'm assuming members of the public driving 42 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: past or walking past and seeing what was going on. 43 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: That's correct, Yes, we had calls coming from the general public. 44 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: Under those circumstances, and we've had other witnesses come forward 45 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 2: since the assault based on previous media release. We are 46 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 2: still seeking some information from other witnesses who we know 47 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 2: obviously were in the vicinity at the time and probably 48 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 2: associated with either the victim or the offender in this matter. 49 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: Okay, so certainly still calling for witnesses and any information 50 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: at this point in time. 51 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 2: Yes, that's correct, And obviously anyone who was in the 52 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 2: area may have dash cam available then would certainly be 53 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 2: interested in reviewing that dash cam, and we have conducted 54 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 2: door knocks around the area looking for CCTV footage from 55 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 2: residential premises. Again, if anyone out there has any information 56 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 2: or any material that could help us with our investigation, 57 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: it would be greatly appreciated. 58 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: Davin, I know that you know something like this. It is. 59 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: It's an incredibly terrible, terrible incident that's unfolded at two 60 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: fifty in the afternoon or three o'clock in the afternoon. 61 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: You know, it is in an area where I'm assumed 62 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: not too far away is the university. I know that 63 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: it's the time of the day when there's school kids 64 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: walking home from school. Was any of that a concern 65 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: for the police at this point on Friday, or you know, 66 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: were you able to get there really quite quickly and 67 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: get things under control. 68 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: Yes, we were fortunate on this occasion that we had 69 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: patrols in the area. Once responded to them, they managed 70 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 2: to apprehend the man at the scene without incident. 71 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: I know, there may be not much that you can 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: say about this at this point, because obviously this forty 73 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: eight year old has now been arrested. But Gavin, we've 74 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: been speaking a lord in recent weeks about some of 75 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 1: the anti social behavior, public drunkenness that we are seeing 76 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 1: around the streets of Darwin. Is this a situation where 77 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: somebody had been drinking, was highly intoxicated and engaged in 78 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: a horrendous, horrendous act. 79 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 2: We are aware that there was alcohol involved in this attack. 80 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: Yes, all rightn I know it wasn't the only thing 81 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: that happened over the last few days. Some of the 82 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 1: other incidents that we will delve into a bit more 83 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: aren't ones that we can ask you questions about. But 84 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: one that I believe you do have a little bit 85 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: further detail on is this situation in Woodroff. Now, what 86 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: day did this happen? 87 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 2: Okay, so this job was reported in approximatey two forty 88 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 2: PMIE forty pm yesterday afternoon to a mathage parlor at 89 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 2: the Woodroff shops. A indigenous mail has entered those shops 90 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 2: with a knife, brandishing a knife rather and fled the 91 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:43,559 Speaker 2: scene with approximately three hundred dollars of cash and taken 92 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 2: off in a westerly direction from that shop across the 93 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 2: adjacent park Land towards James Circuit. Police responded there very 94 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 2: quickly to that scene. 95 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: As well, Yeah, are the people that work in there, kay, 96 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 1: they must be pretty rattled. 97 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 2: Yes, they are, they are. Fortunately there were no injuries 98 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 2: received from the victim. The victim was the only one 99 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 2: there at the time and obviously she was compliant with 100 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,239 Speaker 2: the demands made of her. But then shortly afterwards police 101 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 2: were notified once the offender of the. 102 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: Camp and I note that it was said that in 103 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: that statement there was issued by the Northern Territory Police 104 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: that that person was possibly wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet. 105 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 2: Yes, we haven't been able to confirm that yet, but 106 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 2: it was noted by the victim that there was something 107 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 2: around the ankle and we are certainly exploring that Avenue 108 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 2: Goodness me. 109 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: It sounds like you guys are very busy at the moment, 110 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: and of course if there is any information that can 111 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: assist the police with those inquiries. One three one triple 112 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: four is the best way to go about getting in 113 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: contact with you. 114 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 2: Yes, certainly and we can. Those inquiries will be directed 115 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 2: to the relevant investigative areas well. 116 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police Senior Sergeant Gavin Hopwood, we really appreciate 117 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: your time this morning. I know that you are very busy, 118 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: so we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. 119 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 2: Thank you you too.