A young woman has described the terrifying moment she regained consciousness during a horrific sexual assault.
Sarah* says she no longer feels safe leaving her home after the traumatising attack by an unknown man in Reservoir, in Melbourne's north, in the early hours of December 4.
The attack occurred shortly after she was dropped off on the nature strip outside her home by a rideshare driver about 2am after a staff Christmas party.
She lost consciousness shortly after being dropped off.
Detective Senior Constable Trelawny Hand said the woman woke up before 4am in an unknown nearby unit to find a man sexually assaulting her.
She managed to push off the man and leave, calling police when she arrived home.
"The victim does not know who this man is, and she did not know how she got to the apartment," Det Snr Const Hand told reporters on Thursday.
"We know the apartment is unoccupied and is frequented by squatters or unknown people coming and going."
Sarah said she was frightened to regain consciousness during the assault.
"I remember being in the Uber home and coming to a while later with this man on top of me," she said.
"I was able to push him off and ask where I was."
The attack has had a significant impact on her life, with Sarah revealing she now rarely takes public transport, rides her bike, or leaves her home.
"The not knowing is really terrifying, and I don't know who it is. I don't know if they know where I live, I don't know if they frequent the area," she said.
"It took me a while to get back to a normal routine ... I haven't been going out with friends, I haven't been doing things I used to do."
The rideshare driver who dropped the woman near her home has been ruled out as a suspect.
In an effort to prompt some more information from the public, police have released a computer-generated image of a man who may be able to assist them.
Police are looking to speak with man believed to be of Middle Eastern appearance, aged between 50 and 60, with dark hair, olive skin, a thin build and clean shaven.
Anyone who can help identify the man or who has dashcam or CCTV footage of the area on the night in question is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
* Sarah is not her real name, police have used a pseudonym to protect her identity.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
