A major sex crimes case on the Sunshine Coast may not have come to light if not for an online portal allowing victims to report sexual assault anonymously, detectives say.
The Queensland Police Service's alternative reporting options for sexual assault form, known as ARO, provides victims with an alternative to making a formal complaint to police.
It was where Maroochydore CIB detectives first learnt about allegations against a security guard.
The 23-year-old was arrested two weeks ago and charged with 39 offences against five women, including rape, torture, strangulation, stalking and deprivation of liberty.
Police said since then another 19 women had come forward alleging they were sexually assaulted by the same man, but investigations into those complaints could take months to process.
The alleged offender has been remanded in custody after having his case mentioned in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on March 18.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said the first alleged victim reported details of her assault through the ARO portal.
"It goes through to our Sex Crimes Unit in Brisbane and they then allocate resources and triage those victims for further investigation."
Detective Senior Sergeant Mansfield said victims could report anonymously if they wished.
"It's proving to be an important tool for us and moreover for victims," he said.
"It's basically for the ease of reporting, first and foremost, but sometimes the cultural or victim shaming aspect that stops people from coming forward."
System identifies serial offenders
The ARO system, which has been operating since 2009, also allows victims to report a rape or sexual assault even if they do not want a suspect prosecuted.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Fabian Colless said survivors and victims needed to feel safe to report their abuse.
"It allows people to advise the police of what happened to them, of sexual assault in Queensland.
"They could say, 'Well, this happened to me, I don't want to make a formal complaint but I want to tell you everything that happened to me'."
He said ARO had been an important tool in identifying serial sexual offenders and often one complaint would start a cascade of reports.
"We can make a decision whether that offending is serious enough for the police to get involved," he said.
"I can tell you that has been successful in assisting prosecutions, and in some cases has assisted in starting prosecutions."
Important for survivors to be heard
Senior sexual assault counsellor Neeraja Sanmuhanathan has seen the trauma people suffer after being sexually assaulted.
She said silence could be a form of survival for victims.
"When survivors come forward to disclose a sexual assault, they are frequently met with more questions than support in our communities," Ms Sanmuhanathan said.
"One in eight Australians believe if a woman is raped while she is affected by alcohol or other drugs, she is at least partly responsible."
Ms Sanmuhanathan is a senior sexual assault counsellor (community health) at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a lecturer in counselling at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
She said during her counselling sessions she talked with victims about the option to collect evidence, disclose to the police, and how to safely tell loved ones if that is what a survivor wanted to do.
"Maximising choices for survivors in every decision allows them to feel empowered and gain back control," she said.
