Australian True Crime – Shortcut: I Was Sexually Assaulted By A Stranger When I Was 7 Re-Issue

Host: Meshel Laurie

Guest: Alesha

Date: March 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This emotionally powerful episode is a re-issue of a previous conversation with Alesha, a survivor of childhood sexual assault. At seven years old, Alesha was abducted on her walk home from school, assaulted, and managed to escape. Despite reporting the event immediately, her case went cold for 26 years until her determination led police to finally identify and convict her attacker. The episode offers Alesha’s first-hand account of the assault, its aftermath, her journey toward justice, and her reflections on survival and advocacy. The conversation is candid, empathetic, and may be confronting for some listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Alesha’s Early Life and the Day of the Assault

• Setting the Scene (02:02 – 06:51)
  • Alesha describes her daily journey from school, crossing main roads, past a hospital, and by a milk bar.
  • Two men near the milk bar; one begins following her with a fabricated story about working for the council and knowing about her and her brother’s bikes.
  • Alesha explains her own thoughts at the time: “I look back now and I think, why did you go? Like, I knew that he didn't work for the council, but I just went, okay.” (03:32 – Alesha)
  • Meshel and Alesha discuss how societal expectations of obedience to adults can override ‘stranger danger’ teachings (03:41 – 04:30).
  • The attacker, Sterling Bauer, leads her toward a local “haunted house,” then into a pine plantation near the kindergarten she had attended.

The Attack & Immediate Aftermath

• The Assault (06:13 – 08:59)
  • The attacker coerces Alesha over a fence, isolates her, and sexually assaults her.
  • Alesha recalls, “He told me to lay down on the ground. And that’s when he did what he did.” (06:51 – Alesha)
  • Powerful, fragmented memories surface: seeing his thighs, collecting pine needles as evidence, and the impact of reading her own statement years later.
  • Direct threats: “He said to me when he was leaving…if you tell anyone, I will kill you.” (07:17 – Alesha)
  • Alesha’s immediate reaction was to flee, screaming all the way home. Her family and community rally, but the experience is traumatic for all, especially her sister who remembers, “she just pulled my pants down and she said pine needles just went everywhere.” (08:59 – Alesha quoting her sister)
  • First interactions with police: collecting evidence, completing a sketch, but no counseling or clear support services available at that time.

Long-Term Impact and Coping

• Living with Trauma (09:12 – 13:57)
  • Trauma was rarely discussed openly in her family, though it was never forbidden.
  • Alesha struggled through adolescence, battling depression and dropping out of school: “I'm sure that obviously there was issues much further on.” (10:32 – Alesha)
  • No justice for years, as the case went cold: “I was just going on living my life believing that he would never be caught.” (11:11 – Alesha)

Reviving the Case & Achieving Justice

• Persistence and Breakthrough (13:57 – 16:52)
  • In 2014, Alesha contacts police to reopen her case, facing initial skepticism until finding a sympathetic officer.
  • DNA evidence was recovered after 27 years, ultimately matching with a known perpetrator in the system.
    • “He goes, I just wanted to let you know that we’ve got a match.” (13:59 – Detective, relayed by Alesha)
  • Discovery that her attacker lived in the next street: “That corner that he picked me up on, he actually lived in the block of units on that corner. So that's how he knew me.” (15:20 – Alesha)
  • Prosecution: The attacker pleads guilty to rape, receives a six-year sentence (four non-parole), and is placed on the sex offender register for 15 years.

Reflections on Survival, Shame, and Advocacy

• Speaking Out and Survivor’s Guilt (16:52 – 18:15)
  • Alesha reflects on her identity: “I'm 36 years old. This is all I know. I have no idea the type of person I would be today had this not happened to me. And that's really unfair.” (17:05 – Alesha)
  • Confronts shame and stigma victims often carry:
    • “Any crime against a child is just so unforgivable. And that's probably because I am one.” (16:52 – Alesha)
    • “You didn't ask for this to be happened. I didn’t ask for this to happen, so why should I be ashamed of it? He's the one that should be ashamed.” (17:21 – Alesha)
  • Host Meshel Laurie praises Alesha’s courage: “I think you’ve done a lot to help people in coming on the show…you’ve given them the confidence to seek help.” (17:49 – Meshel Laurie)
  • Alesha, on the impact of her disclosure: “If one person did, then this has been worth it.” (18:06 – Alesha)
  • The host reminds listeners: “Let’s not forget you took a rapist off the street for at least a couple of years, babe. So thank you for that.” (18:15 – Meshel Laurie)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Obedience and Societal Expectations

  • “As much as we were taught stranger danger, at the same time our parents taught us respect for adults.” (04:19 – Meshel Laurie)

• Immediate Emotional Fallout

  • “I lost my innocence that day.” (09:07 – Alesha)
  • “Gidmitty doesn’t live here anymore. That little Gimme's not here anymore. It’s been taken away.” (09:25 – Alesha, recounting her own words as a child)

• On Facing the Justice System

  • “I can remember going to Target because I had to go and pick out his clothes…and then we had to go and get my clothes because there was also one of those neighborhood watch… reenactments.” (09:35 – Alesha)

• Case Breakthrough

  • “We have pulled DNA off it. And he goes, I just wanted to let you know that we’ve got a match.” (13:59 – Detective via Alesha)

• Survivor’s Message

  • “You didn't ask for this to be happened...so why should I be ashamed of it? He's the one that should be ashamed.” (17:21 – Alesha)
  • “If one person did [seek help], then this has been worth it.” (18:06 – Alesha)

Key Timestamps

• 02:02: Alesha narrates her childhood walk home and the first encounter with her attacker.
• 06:13: The assault and immediate aftermath.
• 08:22: Alesha flees home, family’s response, and initial police involvement.
• 13:57: The case is reopened after 26 years; the DNA breakthrough.
• 15:20: The realization that the perpetrator lived in the neighborhood.
• 16:52: Reflections on sentencing, justice, and the enduring effects of trauma.
• 17:21: Alesha confronts shame and stigma.
• 18:06: Reflections on advocacy and helping other survivors.

Tone & Language

This episode is deeply personal, frank, and filled with both vulnerability and strength. Alesha’s voice is direct but compassionate—her story is told with clarity, emotion, and a survivor’s resolve. Meshel Laurie creates a supportive, validating space, gently guiding the conversation and underscoring the importance of speaking out.

Support Resources

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• 1-800-Respect: 1800 737 732, www.1800respect.org.au
• 13 Yarn (Indigenous support): 13 92 76, www.13yarn.org.au

Trigger Warning: This episode contains distressing details of child sexual assault and its aftermath. If you need support, please refer to the helplines above.