00:05Today we have you here to draw your attention to a horrific crime that happened in the St
00:11Kilda and Elwood areas on a morning of January in 1988.
00:18The crime was committed by a then 20-year-old, Travis Scott Riley, who lived at the time
00:27in the Essendon area and also committed by his as yet to be identified accomplice.
00:36These two cowardly, misogynistic young men attacked a vulnerable young woman and defiled
00:45her body to satisfy their depraved sexual needs on that day.
00:51So, I'll take you back to the 23rd of January, 1988.
00:56Mary was 19 years of age at the time and she's looking forward to further studies in art that
01:04she was intending to undertake.
01:07She was walking home during the evening after she spent some time with friends and walking
01:15alone on Carlisle Street in St Kilda when she was attacked and grabbed, abducted from behind
01:23on Carlisle Street, dragged into a vehicle and driven to the Elwood Beach car park by two
01:32males, by the two offenders.
01:35At that location, she was viciously raped in the vehicle by both men and then they left
01:44her in the car park and drove off away from the crime.
01:51At the time, Victoria Police investigators attempted to identify the offenders but were unable to
01:57do and the matter went cold, however, we were able to obtain DNA profiles from the offenders
02:04and they were placed on the national database.
02:09In 2021, we had a breakthrough and we obtained a positive match on the DNA database of Travis
02:16Scott Riley.
02:19He was forensically linked to the case and in October 2024, Sexual Crime Squad detectives travelled
02:26to Queensland and extradited Riley back to Victoria and he faced a number of charges, serious offending
02:33including aggravated rape.
02:36He has since been convicted of aggravated rape and is currently serving a prison sentence
02:41of nine years and nine months.
02:44But the Sexual Crime Squad has not stopped investigating this case with the hope of identifying the second
02:51man and bringing that person to justice.
02:55Today I have with me the very courageous and resilient Mary, who would like to share her story
03:04with you.
03:05So I will leave it with Mary.
03:08Hi.
03:12I am probably going to pretty much say what has already been said.
03:19On the 22nd of January 1988, I had been out partying with a friend.
03:27After the party, we went to a place called The Linden Tree in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda.
03:35Had several drinks and walked home together and then parted ways, so early hours of 23rd
03:44January.
03:47Parted ways for her to walk home and as I started to walk down Foster Street in St Kilda, I
03:56was
03:56grabbed from behind with my mouth held shut and pushed into the back of a car.
04:04This is the nightmare that every woman fears and it was happening to me.
04:11I didn't know if the men were going to rape me or kill me and I was terrified.
04:20We drove for a bit, but they were holding me down.
04:24The car stopped and I was raped by both of them.
04:30They then dumped me outside and drove off and that's when I realised that I was at a car
04:37park at Elwood Beach.
04:40Sorry, my voice is trembling.
04:44So I was in shock and I was crying and I was alone and scared.
04:49It was still a little bit dark.
04:55So all I wanted to do is just get home and get safe.
04:58I had to walk home.
05:03When I got home, my mum called the police and they came and took me for a forensic examination
05:10and to give a statement.
05:15But because there weren't any real identities, the case was closed not long after.
05:24I was about to start art college, I think it was probably a couple of weeks after the sexual
05:34assault.
05:36So I only lasted one semester because I was just suffering from too much PTSD and anxiety.
05:47But did do quite a few drawings and paintings and things that were sort of a little bit
05:55like art therapy at the time anyway.
05:59So that was a little bit helpful.
06:03But yeah, that was the end of the idea of becoming an artist or anything.
06:07I just went on to a life of self-medicating, ongoing psychological treatment, anxiety, depression,
06:21suicide attempts.
06:26I have a daughter and so I always worry about her safety, very overprotective.
06:35Anyway, in 2021, the detectives reopened the case.
06:41And because the DNA that was taken was so well preserved, they're able to identify Travis
06:49Riley.
06:53So when they contacted me about that, that was pretty full on.
06:57I was happy is probably not the word to say, I don't know.
07:06It was a really good feeling that I felt validated for the first time.
07:10I didn't feel like I was getting blamed.
07:13The detectives have been fantastic and they've just given me so much respect and support and
07:19they've just made me feel so validated.
07:23So yeah, when I got the phone call that he was actually going to be extradited, I just
07:31hung up the phone and rang my friend and just bawled my eyes out.
07:36When the court case happened, I was at home with my friend.
07:40And just got to watch it, wasn't identified or anything.
07:45So I had some support there.
07:47But yeah, it was all pretty intensive, brought it all up again, as you would expect.
07:57So yeah, not traveling great at the moment, but have a lot of support and can't praise the
08:03detectives enough for what they've done and what they're doing and just hope this helps to get
08:10the other offender, but glad at least one of them is paying for what he did to me.
