Woman allegedly raped by five men in Melbourne laneway

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/woman-allegedly-raped-by-five-men-in-melbourne-laneway

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A woman is in hospital after she was allegedly gang-raped by five men in a dark Melbourne laneway.

The alleged attack happened about 4am on Sunday in Snowball Lane, South Yarra.

The naked woman managed to make her way back to the Chapel Street nightclub strip in South Yarra after the assault, where a passer-by saw her and called police.

Sergeant Michael Phyland said all five men sexually assaulted the woman.

He said some of the details of the attack were still unclear and it was too early to tell if it was planned.

“At this stage it may appear opportunistic,” Phyland told reporters on Tuesday.

Police say the woman was seen walking with two men near Grosvenor Street before she was raped by five men on nearby Snowball Lane.

Phyland said the woman had been in the Chapel Street area for some time that night but was not at bars or clubs and not with friends.

“She was on her own and she had been in that area,” he said.

Asked if the woman was a sex worker, Phyland said he would not discuss the victim’s personal circumstances.

One of the men the woman was seen with was a Caucasian aged 25 to 30, about 175cm tall, with short blond hair, a black hoodie and dark pants.

The other was of Islander appearance, aged 20 to 30, about 183cm tall with a solid build, wearing a black shirt with white writing and a checked shirt on top of that.

Phyland said police wanted to speak to both men but would not say if they were involved in the attack.

Police were looking through CCTV from the area for clues.

He said police believed the five men knew each other and called on them to hand themselves in.