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Woman feared for life during indecent assault in Geraldton

Woman feared for life during indecent assault in Geraldton
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Woman kicked in head during indecent assault in Geraldton In short: Police are investigating a report of an attack on a woman in Geraldton early on Sunday morning. Teahl Taylor says a man followed, attacked and indecently assaulted her while she was walking home after a night out. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

Woman kicked in head during indecent assault in Geraldton In short: Police are investigating a report of an attack on a woman in Geraldton early on Sunday morning. Teahl Taylor says a man followed, attacked and indecently assaulted her while she was walking home after a night out. Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. A woman who was kicked in the head during the course of an indecent assault in Geraldton, WA, says she was convinced her attacker was going to kill her. This report contains descriptions of an indecent assault that some readers may find distressing. Teahl Taylor, 29, said she had been out with friends but split from the group and was walking along Chapman Road in an "emotional state" sometime after 10pm on Saturday night. She said a man near the public toilets at AJ's Cafe on the Foreshore said something to her as she walked past. "It was something like, 'Hey what are you doing?'" Ms Taylor said. "I ignored him completely and kept walking." She said she walked another 100 metres before realising the man was following her. "I go to wipe my cheek, and my tears away, and look over my shoulder as I'm doing so, and he's standing right over my right-side shoulder within arms' reach," Ms Taylor said. "[I was] terrified. Absolutely terrified." She said she yelled "what the f***?" and tried to distance herself, but the man "king hit" her in the back of the head. "As I'm falling to the ground he's trying to grab my butt, I'm turning around and kicking him," Ms Taylor said. "He's gone in and grabbed my crotch and he's dragging me along the pavement. I’m kicking and screaming. "He literally jumps back, spins around, like, spun on the spot, and boots me in the head." Ms Taylor said the man, thinking she was unconscious, laughed, put his hands on his head and said, "You're gonna be fun, alright". "I just thought in my head, 'This man is going to kill me,'" she said. Ms Taylor yelled her own name out while she was being assaulted, in a bid to attract attention and hopefully humanise herself in the eyes of her attacker. "I wanted him to know who I was," she said. Desire to keep other women safe Ms Taylor said she managed to break free, towards lights and jumped in front of a car. The driver stopped to help her and briefly searched for the man before taking her to hospital. Ms Taylor took to social media to warn other women in the city and because she wanted to ensure the man was caught. She said she was usually highly vigilant about safety at night. "I was so emotional at the time, I kind of had a moment of weakness and in that moment of weakness he got me," Ms Taylor said. “I’m sick of it. I’ve healed myself from previous incidents.” A WA Police spokesperson confirmed the attack was reported at about 1:15am on Sunday and was under investigation. The attacker is described as being aged in his 40s and approximately 180 centimetres in height. He was wearing dark clothing, including a dark cap or hood. Anyone who witnessed the incident or saw a person matching that description in the area is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Geraldton Woman (LOCATION) Geraldton (LOCATION) Teahl Taylor (PERSON) Crime Stoppers (ORG) WA (LOCATION) Chapman Road (LOCATION) AJ (ORG) Foreshore (PERSON) Ms Taylor (PERSON)
Originally published by ABC Australia Read original →