More than 20 years after a woman was allegedly raped in Katherine, detectives have charged a 41-year-old man with the crime.
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Police allege they were able to link the man to the crime after an advancement in DNA technology.
Det. Sen. Sgt Mark Malogorski said the incident occured in June 1993.
On June 16, 1993 a Katherine Times article reported a young woman was raped and bashed near the pool.
“Katherine police have called for the public’s help to catch a man suspected of raping and bashing a woman in scrub near the Katherine Pool on Tuesday evening last week,” the article reads.
“The 20-year-old Katherine woman was allegedly bashed and raped soon after 5pm on Tuesday, June 8.
“Police issued an updated description of the suspect yesterday, after gathering information from the victim and a witness.
“He was thought to be an Aboriginal man, about 19-years-old, of slim build with broad shoulders, skinny legs and thin hips.
“He had black five cm long, wavy hair, which was untidy but not dirty.
“He was clean shaven and had a flaky pigmentation on his arms,” the article states.
“At the time of the attack he was dressed in a T-shirt which police said ‘had a lot of colour in it’, either blue or brown jeans and rubber thongs.
“Acting Katherine Superintendent Max Pope said there was a strong possibility the man was right handed.”
A follow up story was published the following Wednesday, headlined ‘Hunt for rape suspect continues’.
“Katherine police have repeated their plea for public help after finding a man suspected of raping and bashing a woman in Katherine two weeks ago,” the second article states.
“They released a police artists impression of the suspect last week. He was described as 19-years-old, part Aboriginal of slim build with slightly broader shoulders with thin hips and skinny legs.
“He had untidy hair, about five cms long, and a flaky greyish pigmentation on his arms.
“He was believed to be right handed. At the time of the attack he was dressed in rubber thongs, either blue denim or brown Longhorn style jeans and a T-shirt described by the victim as having a lot of colour in it,” the story said.
“The 20 year-old Katherine woman was attacked soon after 5 pm on Tuesday June 8.
“Police have appealed for anyone who saw a man who fitted the description above with a blonde woman at the Woolworths complex at about 5pm that day to contact them.”
