A woman has allegedly been threatened with a knife and sexually assaulted inside her own home in one of two separate break-in attacks on women in a city's southern suburbs over a matter of days.
Three men have been charged after police in Sydney’s southwest responded to two reports of home invasions over the past week, one in Arncliffe about midnight on Tuesday and a second about 12.30am on Thursday in Bankstown.
Authorities were told a group of unknown men forced entry into a property on Marinea Street in Arncliffe during the first alleged invasion.
There, they allegedly threatened a 31-year-old woman with a knife, sexually assaulted her and stole money from the premises.
The woman was treated in hospital for minor injuries.
Little more than 48 hours later police responded to reports of a second home invasion on Jacobs Street in Bankstown.
Police allege three men forced their way into a unit and assaulted a 32-year-old woman before making off with money.
She was also taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Police and the state’s sex crimes squad launched joint investigations.
Detectives executed three search warrants across greater Sydney about 7.45pm on Thursday with assistance from the riot squad.
Officers arrested a 20-year-old man in Belmore and charged him with a slew of offences, including two counts of choking someone, depriving someone of liberty, assault and aggravated robbery.
In Punchbowl, a 19-year-old man was arrested and was charged with offences including two counts of choking a person, aggravated sex assault, aggravated break and enter, robbery, use of an offensive weapon and failure to comply with a digital evidence access order.
An 18-year-old man was arrested in Greenacre and charged with similar offences.
The younger men will face a Bankstown court on Friday, while the 20-year-old will front Burwood Local Court.
