In that case, 18-year-old school girl Susan* was dragged into a car on Bray Street, blindfolded and gagged before being taken to an unknown property and sexually assaulted. She was dumped on Yarra Boulevard in Richmond some hours later. The incident had a profound impact on Susan’s life before she died in related circumstances aged 41 in 2008, according to her close friend, who has spoken in a publicly released police interview. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video On Sunday, police extended the reward to information about another case, which occurred in Nunawading in the following year.

Detective Inspector Steve Wilson said there were some "disturbing escalations" in the Nunawading assault. This time the men asked the victim her name, where she lived and threatened to murder her. At about 9.30pm on the night of March 26, 1986, 19-year-old Debbie* was walking along the footpath on Ashwood Drive. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video She was heading to the house of the parents of her then-boyfriend. He had a car and the plan was he would drive Debbie home later that evening. "I didn’t even think that it would be an issue," Debbie said of her decision to walk a quiet suburban street at night.

"I quite like – I used to quite like – walking anyway, so it wasn’t something that I even worried about it. And I was just excited to be going to see him." But Debbie said that she remained "terrified" by the memory of what happened next, a heinous assault which would have a profound impact on the rest of her life. A vehicle, described as being possibly a white or silver Holden sedan, pulled up alongside her and she was pulled into the car with four men. The victim was threatened with a knife, blindfolded and gagged.

She was driven a short distance to an unknown property and then sexually assaulted over a number of hours by at least three men whilst still blindfolded. The woman was then dumped under a parked vehicle on Mariana Avenue in Ringwood East sometime around midnight. Despite giving the men a false name, Debbie moved interstate after the attack. "I built a whole identity under a different name, just to make sure that I wouldn't be found," she said. "I wouldn't even talk to people for months and months."

Despite being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Debbie held down a highly paid, professional job which saw her travelling across Australia. But it was a position which required her to be called out to work at night. One evening this occurred at about the same time she had been assaulted years earlier on Ashwood Drive. "Every time I would go to work after that I remembered that I could be in danger at any moment," she said. "I couldn't do my work anymore ... I ended up giving it away." The trauma of the assault also derailed her personal life.

Debbie's boyfriend at the time of the attack became her husband and "went to great lengths" to help her recover. But despite her "respecting him forever for that" he was a "constant reminder". Debbie said she "get the guilt" over the breakdown of that relationship. Debbie said she still gets flashbacks and has trouble forming relationships and trusting people. "It impacts on everything," she said of the attack. But Debbie hopes going public will be a positive move for her and other victims.