Albany man Timothy James Walker, 33, on rape charge after alleged sexual assault outside York Street church

A 33-year-old man is facing serious sexual assault charges after allegedly attacking a woman in her 20s outside a church on York Street. Police will allege Timothy James Walker, from Spencer Park, assaulted the younger woman about 2am on Saturday near Scots Church on Albany’s main strip. The front of Scots Church was cordoned off for several hours on Saturday as forensics officers examined the scene. They placed evidence markers on the grass on the south side of the heritage-listed Uniting Church building. Their investigation was conducted in full view of the public. On Saturday afternoon, Albany detectives confirmed that a man was assisting with their inquiries into a “serious incident” on York Street. He was taken into custody and charged on Saturday night with two counts of sexual penetration without consent, two counts of attempted sexual penetration without consent and one count of unlawful indecent assault. Mr Walker faced Perth Magistrate’s Court via video-link on Sunday where he was remanded in custody to appear in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 9. Detective Senior Sergeant Darryl Noye said CCTV footage was key to the arrest. He said “a number of witnesses came forward” and gave statements which helped them identify Mr Walker. “CCTV footage of York Street was reviewed by Albany detectives and also with the assistance of Sexual Assault Squad officers who travelled down from Perth to help us,” he said. “CCTV footage was instrumental in identifying the lady leaving the nightclub and also the alleged offender following a short time later.” He said this investigation, along with the investigation into the Stirling Terrace brawl in July, showed the value of CCTV cameras in Albany’s entertainment precinct. Saturday’s incident follows another alleged sexual assault in Albany in July, when police say 34-year-old Errol Wayne Eades sexually assaulted a woman in her 50s in a Spencer Park bakery. Mr Eades is due to face Albany Magistrates Court on November 4. Det. Sen. Sgt Noye said he hoped the weekend’s arrest brought “some level of comfort” to the community. “There have been a number of incidents lately that are of concern,” he said. “We’ve worked tirelessly to bring a very swift conclusion to those investigations to try and provide the community with assurance that as the police we are there to respond to serious crime offences and that we have the capability and capacity to bring it to a successful conclusion in a swift manner. “I would suggest we all need to look out for each other and that if you are in a group stay together and look out for and look after each other.” City of Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington praised the work of detectives. “Obviously police have done some very good work in getting to the stage where they’ve arrested somebody,” Cr Wellington said. “It was a complete and utter shock, really. “The general note we get from the police is that Albany’s crime rate is about 35 per cent less than it is anywhere else in the State, so when something like this happens it is a big shock to the system.” Detectives still want to speak to anyone who has information about Saturday’s alleged sexual assault or who was in the vicinity of York Street at the time. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestopperswa.com.au.