THE attempted abduction of a Wodonga teenager on Monday is the third of its type in the city in less than a year.
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It is also the most serious, seemingly the most calculated and the most violent attempt yet.
Police say the attempted kidnap appeared to be sexually motivated.
A 15-year-old girl walking home from school was coaxed into helping an older man who had appeared to fall.
The man then asked her to reach into his car to grab something and while she did, he took the opportunity to attack her from behind, pushing her into the car before producing a weapon to use against her.
The bravery shown by the young teen to fight off her attacker in terrifying circumstances was truly incredible. We can only be grateful it did not end another way.
Police are now investigating whether this latest attempted abduction is linked to the two previous unsolved cases.
While they can’t be sure yet that there is any connection, it is clear that the need to drill the stranger danger message to our children has never been more important.
And we need to keep our eyes open.
As Wodonga Sen-Sgt Kevin Coughlan put it, this is a serious, serious problem.
