KEY POINTS:
A young woman has been raped after accepting an offer of a ride home from a friendly stranger - and police warn the attacker could strike again.
Yesterday, an identikit picture of the suspect was released by Hamilton police, after a detailed description of a vehicle was distributed. An update will be made available later today.
The woman had been walking home down Collingwood St after an evening in the centre of town on Saturday night.
She was intending to call a cab from nearby Tristram St when a man approached her and started a conversation.
After a short time, he offered to take the woman home in his car, which she accepted.
However, during the drive an assault took place. Although the man drove in the direction of the woman's home, he took a detour and stopped in a rural area near the suburbs of Melville and Temple View.
Here, the victim was sexually assaulted and raped, before being abandoned.
The woman's cellphone and grey wallet containing her driver's licence and two eftpos cards were also stolen.
"Police are always concerned that a person who is not apprehended for offences with an element of premeditation such as this one have a propensity to reoffend," said Detective Sergeant Neville Ross of the Hamilton CIB.
Detectives are on the lookout for the European driver of a mid-1980s hatchback, possibly a light-coloured Toyota Corolla, Cielo, Levin, or Nissan Sentra.
The man they want to speak with is of average build, about 175cm (5ft 9in) tall, with dark blond or light brown hair.
He is estimated to be in his early 20s and is described as having a tidy appearance.
