Detectives have charged two men following a protracted investigation into the sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman in South Brisbane on April 15, 2011.

Around 9am, police attended an Annerley address and took a 24-year-old Auchenflower man into custody.

He was conveyed to Police Headquarters where he was charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of deprivation of liberty.

He is due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Around the same time, officers from the New South Wales Police Force arrested a 32-year-old Ashgrove man in northern New South Wales on behalf of Queensland investigators.

He will also be charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of deprivation of liberty on his return to Queensland.

He will appear in the Lismore Magistrates Court today.

Detectives will travel to Lismore this afternoon to seek his extradition to Queensland.

Police will allege a woman was walking along Manning Street, South Brisbane after leaving a nearby venue at 11.30pm on April 15.

Two men allegedly followed the woman for a short time before forcing her into a lane and assaulting her. She sustained serious injuries.

Detective Inspector Garry Watts paid tribute to the many officers who have worked around the clock to bring about a resolution to this case.

“This result would not have been possible without the tireless work of officers from both the Brisbane Region and the State Crime Command from all the way back to 2011, right up to today,” Detective Inspector Watts said.

“This should send a message to the community – while a lot of time can pass and people may think they have been able to get away with something they did years ago – we continue our work in the background with the ultimate goal of bringing offenders before the Courts.”

If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.

You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.