Senior Sergeant Jade Smith and, bottom right, the logo of the stolen diary.
Camera IconSenior Sergeant Jade Smith and, bottom right, the logo of the stolen diary. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Padbury link to Mosman Park rape

Mark DonaldsonWanneroo Times

POLICE have identified a possible Padbury link as they investigate fresh leads into the sexual assault of a German au pair in Mosman Park nearly five years ago.

And they have revealed the male offender stole a diary from the 19-year-old victim with the distinctive branding of a German cattle breeding company known as "Masterrind".

State Crime Operations Team Senior Sergeant Jade Smith was at Padbury Village shopping centre on Friday in a plea for information, with officers led to believe the offender was at the centre in the days before and after the September 17, 2010 attack.

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Sen-Sgt Smith would not expand on the details of what the man was doing at the outlet.

"I don't wish to go into what that information was" but there's certainly several sources of information that suggest that this location is an area the person of interest has been at previously," he said.

However, he did confirm the man had not been doing anything untoward at the time of the possible Padbury sightings.

"There is no suggestion that people in this area were at risk at the time," he said.

He said the investigation, based at the corner of Gibson and Warburton avenues, related only to days before and after the attack, not the date of the crime itself.

Police had not heard of any possible recent shopping centre sightings.

While he admitted the near five-year time gap could distort public recollection, he was confident in the northern suburbs link.

"We're certain that it is an accurate reflection of what occurred and is likely to be relevant to the person of interest," he said.

Police had ruled out a Padbury florist as the man's point of purchase for flowers he brought to the teenager before restraining and raping her at a Manning Street home in Perth's affluent west.

Sen-Sgt Smith said police had remained in contact with the victim.

"She is still traumatised by the event and she is hopeful we catch the person to prevent this type of predatory behaviour occurring to someone else," he said.

He was unable to answer how confident police were that the man still lived in Perth, saying they had sought assistance from interstate and international agencies.

Police have re-broadcast the man's identikit image as well as a likeness of the vehicle the man was believed to have been driving at the time.

They are hoping a member of the public may have seen a diary with the Masterrind branding pictured.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.