Police have arrested a 41-year-old man over the alleged sexual assault of an elderly woman in Merrylands on Tuesday, following a four-day manhunt.
The man allegedly offered to help carry the 83-year-old’s shopping before forcing his way into her home in Sydney’s west.
Following a public appeal, police made the arrest at a unit on Harris Street in Fairfield just after midday on Friday.
A 41-year-old man was arrested in Fairfield over the alleged sexual assault.Credit: NSW Police
The man was taken to Fairfield Police Station, where police said it is expected he will be charged with sexual assault and other offences. Police inquiries are ongoing.
Detectives allege the man met the elderly woman near Charles Mance Reserve in Merrylands about 12.30pm on Tuesday. The man, who was not known to the woman, offered to carry her shopping trolley home, police said.
When the pair arrived at the woman’s home, the man allegedly forced his way inside and sexually assaulted the woman in what sex crimes squad commander Detective Acting Superintendent Rachel Fawcett described as “abhorrent behaviour”.
Police say they expect the man will be charged imminently.Credit: NSW Police
“At that location, in a place she should feel safe, she was sexually assaulted,” Fawcett told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
“The man has approached her, has gained her trust, and then he has broken that trust by breaking into her home and assaulting her,” Fawcett alleged.
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