Woman fights off would-be rapist

A 46-year-old woman has courageously fought off a man who broke into her bedroom at night and tried to rape her.

The man, who Jane (not her real name) did not know, knocked on the door of her Preston unit, in Melbourne's north, at 9pm last Friday.

He was holding flowers and asked Jane, who lives with her adult daughter but was home alone, to see a woman with brunette hair, Darebin police Detective Sergeant Patrick Allen said.

"The man, who said his name was Joe, was told that he had the wrong address. He asked the female occupant if she would have coffee with him. She refused and closed the door," Det Sgt Allen told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.

Jane went to bed and fell asleep but was woken at 11pm by strange noises and the smell of alcohol and cigarettes.

She told reporters she turned on the light and found the same man on the floor in her bedroom, smiling at her.

Jane said he jumped on to her bed and tried to put a cloth over her mouth. He then put his hands around her neck and began choking her.

She fought back, kicking him off, biting his finger as hard as she could and screaming for help as loudly as she could. He dragged her by the hair and slammed her head into a wardrobe door several times but Jane kept on screaming and kicked him.

He then fled out the back door he had broken open to enter the unit.

"It was too much for him, the screaming, kicking, biting his finger, I tried to twist his finger and break it as well," she said. "I am very lucky to be here, very lucky I escaped and I am not in hospital. I have bruises, probably nothing broken. I had an x-ray of my hand and am waiting for the result."

Jane said she felt like she was fighting for her life and had to everything she could to survive.

"When I saw his hand over my neck, I couldn't breathe, I was choking. I knew I had to do something, anything," she said.

"I'm very fit and do a lot of physical activities. I know he was male, taller than me, a similar build, but I realised I had to try to fight this man.

"I worry about women in this situation, that live by themselves, that would not be not confident or weak or too shocked to act quickly. I think my quick action is the reason I am here."

Jane said the experience had changed her life and she was now terrified at the thought of being in her unit alone.

Det Sgt Allen said police were concerned about the "violent and brazen nature of the attack" and the man's failure to make any attempt to disguise himself.

He is described as Caucasian, 173cm tall, of medium build, short brown hair and blue eyes.
He was believed to have been wearing a blue-and-white baseball cap, dark blue top and blue trousers.