Man, 19, charged over alleged assault of 15-year-old near Broome bush doof

A 19-year-old man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl near a bush doof at Broome’s Gantheaume Point in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police say the man assaulted the teen, who was known to him, as her friends desperately searched for her.

When they found her, police say they were able to “get her away from the man” and helped her make a report to police.

The man was due to appear in Broome Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The harrowing alleged assault echoes an unsolved 2022 rape, which also occurred near a bush doof in Broome.

A then 31-year-old woman was backpacking through the town when she attended the party of about 200 people at Cable Beach on May 29, 2022.

The woman left the dance floor in the early hours of the morning, wandering to nearby sand dunes to go to the toilet when she was battered across the head then sexually assaulted.

The offender described as being dark skinned with a slim build and 177cm tall – fled the area on foot.

The woman was taken to Broome Hospital for treatment of serious head injuries.

Despite a large scale investigation, no charges were laid.

However, WA Detectives are determined to find the perpetrator of the assault, announcing a landmark $250,000 reward for information on the gruesome attack last September.

Detective Senior Sergeant Fowler said at the time that police were relying on the public’s assistance.

“Anyone with information, no matter how small or irrelevant they think it may be, is encouraged to come forward,” Sgt Fowler said.

“Due to the complexities of the DNA evidence for this particular case, we encourage the public not to exclude people they think would have been already eliminated based solely off DNA testing.”