Kevin Frederick Combes is accused of attacking two teenagers in Perth in the early 1990s

A pensioner and father of seven accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls more than 30 years ago has been released on bail after being arrested amid a cold case review.

WARNING: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing, including a depiction of an alleged rape.

Kevin Frederick Combes was arrested yesterday and charged with assaulting the two women in incidents in Perth CBD in 1990 and in South Boulder in the Goldfields in 1991.

This morning in Perth Local Court the Crown Prosecution Service refused Mr Combes’ application for bail on the grounds that there was strong evidence against him.

It contained DNA samples from the two women, which the court found matched a sample taken after Mr Combes’ arrest.

Mr Combes was stopped by police at a petrol station in Pearsall last night and taken into custody.

Two teenagers are said to have been attacked

The court heard that the plaintiff, then 19, had just finished work at a bar on Barrack Street in the city when she walked to her car, which was parked in a staff area.

The prosecutor said the woman felt her neck being grabbed before someone repeatedly told her: “If you scream, I’ll kill you.”

The court was told that the attacker’s hand covered her mouth and that she also felt a knife at her throat.

The attacker then took her to a so-called “unused” area and raped her.

The woman was then told: “If you move, I will kill you,” before the man fled.

Fearing that the man might still be hiding in the area, the woman stayed there for a while before returning to the bar and getting help.

Police also alleged that a second offence was committed in Kalgoorlie in February 1991.

In this case, it is said that a 17-year-old girl gave the man a ride before he pulled out a knife and forcibly forced her into the trunk of the vehicle.

Police allege he drove her to a remote area in South Boulder and then sexually assaulted her.

Allegations “extremely serious”

The man, who lives in Wanneroo, was represented by his public defender, who told the court he is a pensioner on a disability pension, is married and has seven children.

She said he had a health problem that affected his mobility and if he were remanded in custody it would be difficult for him to care for himself.

Judge Belinda Coleman described the charges as extremely serious but said Mr Combes remained innocent until proven guilty.

She imposed strict bail conditions on Mr Combes, including a $20,000 personal bond with a matching surety, a restraining order against him from contacting the plaintiffs and a requirement that he report to police three times a week.

Mr Combes will have to appear in court again next month.

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