Arrawarra beach alleged rape: Cops move on fruit picker, 34, after teenage girl was allegedly ‘dragged into the bushes’
- The teen was reportedly dragged into the bushes and raped
- Police have charged a man, 34, with assault
EXCLUSIVE
Police have charged a 34-year-old man with sexual assault after a teenage girl was dragged into bushes and brutally raped in an idyllic beach town on Friday evening.
The accused man is believed to be a seasonal fruit picker who worked in Australia on a berry farm on the NSW north coast and lived in beachside accommodation with colleagues.
The 17-year-old girl was walking home near Arrawarra Beach, north of Coffs Harbour, about 7.30pm when she was confronted by a man who had allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Police arrested a man at the campsite and accommodation area in Arrawarra about 5pm on Sunday.
Police have charged a 34-year-old man with assault after a 17-year-old girl was dragged into bushes and brutally raped last Friday evening.
Little Arrawarra on the NSW Mid North Coast was the site of an alleged brutal rape of a teenager who was attacked and dragged into bushes on Friday evening
Officers from the Coffs Harbor-Clarence NSW Police District attended a site currently home to hundreds of seasonal workers from a nearby berry farm.
The man was taken to Coffs Harbor police station where he was later charged.
The incident follows another a week ago when a young woman reportedly hid in a toilet stall after being chased by a man she believed was under the influence of alcohol.
Locals told Ny Breaking Australia that up to 400 pickers are housed at a holiday park every day and bused to a nearby farm.
The village of Arrawarra is a destination for surfers, caravanners, backpackers and visitors to the waterfront location.
Waste has been dumped around Arrawarra, which has concerned some locals
Locals complained earlier this year that fruit pickers had turned the coastal paradise into a ‘slum’.
Some locals have complained that there have been incidents of drunkenness and aggression by workers and litter being left on the beach and in local waterways.
The beach strip is considered a gem hidden among the area’s most populous townships, with a relaxed atmosphere, kangaroos hopping along the beach and pristine surf.
The influx of hundreds of berry pickers in recent years has led some residents – whose local population is only between 50 and 100 people – to worry that their piece of paradise is being destroyed.
The employee accommodation provider earlier this year branded the criticism “lies and fabrications” and accused locals of being biased against Pacific Islanders, who make up the majority of fruit pickers.
Earlier this year, a concerned local seasonal worker filmed an alleged drunken fight (above) on Arrawarra beach