Police hunt for man after sex attack at St Kilda music festival

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This was published 5 years ago

Police hunt for man after sex attack at St Kilda music festival

By Melissa Cunningham
A facial composite of a male police want to speak to over a sexual assault at Listen Out festival in St Kilda. 

A facial composite of a male police want to speak to over a sexual assault at Listen Out festival in St Kilda. Credit: Victoria Police

A woman has been sexually assaulted in a brazen attack in the mosh pit at an outdoor dance festival in St Kilda.

Police said a man began dancing behind her, before he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him at the Listen Out music festival in the Catani Gardens about 8pm on Saturday.

He then grabbed the woman around the neck and placed his hand inside her clothing and sexually assaulted her, police said.

The woman elbowed the man in the face before managing to escape.

She left the mosh pit before finding her friends and calling the police.

The man is described as Caucasian with ginger-coloured hair which was tied in a man bun.

Festival organisers said in a statement on Facebook they were working with police to identify the offender.

"This behaviour is completely unacceptable," they said adding that they were trying to identify the attacker "using every means at our disposal including CCTV coverage, customer lists, security and police surveillance".

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"If you witness something at an event, report it immediately to security or police on site."

Listen Out travels to Sydney on September 29 and Brisbane on September 30.

City of Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss said the alleged assault had "appalled" councillors but safety and security at festivals was a matter for the police.

"Our council is appalled at this reported sexual assault which is being investigated by Victoria Police and hope the offender will soon be caught and held accountable," she said.

"Council’s enforcement role within the permit process is to ensure that structures, such as the stage, are safe. Police are responsible for dealing with criminal behaviour and we understand they acted very quickly after receiving this report.

"The Listen Out organisers paid for a strong police and private security presence and, according to media reports, are working closely with police to identify and catch the offender through tools including CCTV."

Reports of the sexual assault comes as 30 people were arrested on drug-related charges at the festival attended by about 18,000 people.

Of the 30 arrests, only one person was charged – a 40-year-old male – with trafficking cocaine.

The Keilor Park man was released pending summons.

The remaining 29 people who were arrested for drug-related offences during sniffer dog operations and were issued a warning ‘diversion notice’, according to police.

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