Elderly Man Charged Over Alleged Central Coast Sex Assaults After 25-Year Cold Case
A 73-year-old man has been arrested and charged more than 25 years after a series of alleged sexual assaults on the Central Coast of New South Wales. The case, which had remained cold for decades, was recently revived through advanced forensic investigative techniques.
Details of the Alleged Incidents
Police allege that five women and teenage girls were assaulted by a man between October 4, 1997, and August 28, 1999. The first incident involved a 23-year-old woman who was allegedly forcibly and indecently touched by an unknown man at Shelly Beach before he fled the scene.
Two alleged incidents then occurred at Forresters Beach in 1998. In one, a 52-year-old woman was sunbaking when she was approached by a naked man who allegedly covered her face and assaulted her. In another, a teenage girl walking up a bush track at Forresters Beach was pushed to the ground and sexually assaulted.
In 1999, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly approached on a bush track at Budgeqoi Beach, forced onto the sand, and then kicked, punched, and indecently touched by a man. Police believe he may have sustained a bite injury during this alleged assault and fled in a white vehicle.
Later that year, police allege three teenagers were approached by a naked man at Putty Beach, near Kilcare. Two of the girls managed to flee, but the third, a 16-year-old girl, tripped and was allegedly assaulted.
Investigation and Breakthrough
All allegations were initially investigated under Strike Force Northgate, but the case went cold for over 25 years until 2022, when it was referred to the State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad. On Tuesday, the squad issued a public appeal for help, including an image of a white Toyota ute believed to have been used in at least one incident.
On Friday, Strike Force Caphs arrested 73-year-old Rodney Faithful at a service station in Murwillumbah, near the NSW-Queensland border. Faithful was taken to Tweed Heads Police Station and charged with multiple offences, including one count of sexual intercourse without consent, two counts of aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm, and three counts of assault with an act of indecency.
He appeared before Bail Division Court on Saturday, where he was officially denied bail ahead of his next court appearance on February 20.
Role of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy
Police noted that the arrest followed a public appeal for information and the use of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy. This emerging technology in Australia allows police to compare DNA profiles from multiple crimes to match genetic profiles.
The technique gained prominence after it was used in 2018 to identify the "Golden State Killer," Joseph DeAngelo, for a string of murders and rapes in California in the 1970s and 1980s. Its application in this case highlights how modern forensic methods are helping solve long-dormant criminal investigations.
