An Irish female backpacker (19) was assaulted when a man tried to drag her into his car in the Western Australian capital of Perth.
According to a report in the West Australiannewspaper, the attack occurred on Friday night as the woman - reportedly from Wexford - walked home alone on Palmerston Street in the city.
A man jumped from a car, punching the girl in the stomach. and tried to drag her towards the passenger door of the car, the paper said. The woman escaped following a struggle and raised the alarm.
The woman, who has asked not to be named, said the incident lasted about two minutes and shattered her idea of Perth being a safe city. "I have not really thought about what he wanted, but he definitely wanted to do me harm," she said.
This attack follows the death of British teenager Caroline Stuttle in eastern Australia. Ms Stuttle (19) was pushed from a bridge last week.
These attacks, and a fire at a backpackers’ hostel in which Julie O'Keeffe from Limerick died, have raised concerns about the safety of young travellers in Australia.