A man suspected of bashing and raping a teenager on a street in country NSW has been arrested 3000 kilometres away in Perth.
The 19-year-old victim was walking through Goulburn in the Southern Tablelands on the night of April 14 when she was grabbed, punched several times in the face and lost consciousness before being sexually assaulted.
When the woman regained consciousness, she ran to a nearby home and flagged down a passing driver who took her to a police station.
A similar attack, in which an 18-year-old was punched in the face and then broke free, occurred in a nearby street on April 5.
Extensive inquiries led detectives to search a Goulburn home and seize several items for forensic examination about 8am on Sunday.
About 14 hours later, the WA Police officers arrested a 41-year-old man at a hotel in Fremantle.
The man was taken to the Perth Watch House where he remains pending his first court appearance. Sex Crimes Squad detectives will travel to WA in the coming days to apply for extradition to NSW.
The style of the twin attacks led the squad to warn people to stay alert.
"Someone in Goulburn knows who this male is," Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty told reporters.
"We don't want people to be alarmed but they should be alert."
Both victims did not know their attacker.
