The woman was cycling along Melbourne’s Upfield bike path in Brunswick, just metres from where Jill Meagher was raped and killed, at around 10.30pm on Sunday night when Casey Tennant, 20, allegedly pulled her off her bike and dragged her into some bushes.
She screamed that she was pregnant but police claim he pushed down hard on her stomach and said: “Just take your pants off.”
Tennant was allegedly trying to pull the woman’s pants down when a passer-by intervened and Tennant fled.
The passer-by and two other men pursued Tennant on their bikes and were able to catch and restrain him, despite him becoming violent and allegedly punching one of them in the face.
After being arrested by police, Tennant allegedly told officers he had “imagined doing it and dreamed about it and decided to do it tonight”.
The woman was taken to hospital and it is not yet clear whether her unborn baby has been harmed.
Tennant was remanded in custody after appearing in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He is charged with unlawful assault, attempted rape, intentionally causing injury and four other charges.
He is due back in court in July.
