Disabled woman found screaming, tied to bench

A disabled Australian woman was tied to a park bench and sexually assaulted in Melbourne early Tuesday morning, police say.

Residents heard the 23-year-old screaming for help from Como Park in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra about 3.40am and alerted police.

Officers found the woman covered in blood and bound with rope to a bench underneath a picnic shelter, beside her wheelchair and walking frame.

Detective Inspector Glenn Davies from the sexual crimes squad said the woman, who had been tied up for at least 20 minutes, told police she had been sexually assaulted.

She also suffered cuts to her arms and was taken to The Alfred hospital where she was still being treated this afternoon.

"She was bound with rope and there is a lot of forensic examination being done on those binds and the area," Inspector Davies said.

"She had a walking frame and a wheelchair and those items are definitely needed to assist her in transport.

"She has been able to provide us with some details but she has suffered some injuries and is in a fairly distraught condition, so we're still attempting to get full details from her at this stage."

Inspector Davies said police believed there was more than one person in the park with the woman at the time of the attack.

The woman was not from the South Yarra area, but Inspector Davies said he could not say where she lived.

"We will be considering any motive at this stage," Inspector Davies said.

"We're trying to unravel this ... The woman was trying to give us as much detail as she can but we need public assistance.

"It has presented as something that's quite unusual and we are putting all our resources into solving it."

- © Fairfax NZ News