A 36-year-old man facing multiple charges connected to a string of groping and threats targeting women in central Melbourne has been publicly identified during a court hearing. Rashed Ateem appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, where he answered to two counts of sexual assault and two additional counts of assaulting police officers.
The alleged incidents date back to the afternoon of March 3, when authorities say Ateem carried out a series of unprovoked attacks on multiple women in Melbourne’s Central Business District. Police received emergency triple-0 calls around 5:30 p.m. that day reporting a man randomly assaulting passersby near the iconic Flinders Street steps, with some of the attacks described as sexually motivated.
Officers quickly located the suspect on Bourke Street and took him into custody. But the arrest did not proceed smoothly: police allege Ateem spat at responding officers and physically assaulted them during the apprehension. The violence left a senior police constable with injuries serious enough to require transport to a local hospital for medical treatment.
During Thursday’s initial hearing, Ateem’s legal team requested an adjournment of the case. Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge granted the request, scheduling the next court appearance for June 1. As Ateem exited the court building following the hearing, he was photographed smiling toward assembled media outlets.
The string of random alleged attacks in one of Melbourne’s busiest tourist and commercial hubs has raised ongoing community concerns about public safety in the city’s central district, with police continuing to urge any potential additional victims to come forward to assist with the investigation.