

A man has been charged with murder and rape after a woman was found dead on a Melbourne soccer field on Wednesday.

Victoria police homicide squad detectives arrested a 19-year-old Broadmeadows man overnight on Wednesday after he handed himself in to police.



He was charged with one count of rape and one count of murder and will appear at Melbourne magistrates court on Thursday.



The woman’s body was discovered at 3am at the sports field between Royal Parade and Princes Park Drive in Carlton North by a passerby. The park is popular with cyclists and contains a running track used at all hours of the day. The Carlton football club is also based in the park.

The woman was believed to be aged in her 20s. While she has not been formally identified, police have been talking to her family.



Police told reporters on Thursday morning that they are not looking for anyone else, and that they did not believe the victim and the accused were known to each other.



“The male surrendered himself to a police station last night, which was a result of the media coverage we got,” homicide detective Andrew Stamper said.



On Wednesday police released CCTV images of the man in connection to the crime which were taken in the CBD.



Stamper said police were now confident the death and a separate sex assault that occurred near the same area in March are unrelated, but said the investigation was ongoing.



“There’s still a lot of investigations to go on. It’s the start for us – charging someone isn’t the end.”



Anyone with information or footage in relation to the woman’s death is urged to contact triple zero, with the relevant time frame between 11pm on Tuesday to 3am Wednesday.



“We really need to get that information. That’s still a priority for us,” Stamper said.



He also urged people to be aware of their own personal security and mindful of their surroundings, and call triple zero if they feared for their safety.



“We’d much rather have too many calls than too few,” he said.