A woman has recalled the “absolutely terrifying” moment she was sexually assaulted in Melbourne late last year.

Sarah*, 30, said she took an Uber home from her work Christmas party on December 4th.

She claimed that she lost consciousness shortly after being dropped off at around 2 a.m. and woke up to find herself in an unknown apartment with a man who was sexually assaulting her.

“I remember being in my Uber home and after a while this man got on top of me,” she said at a press conference this morning.

“It was really scary.”

Sarah said the man told her she was at the reservoir, which meant he knew she was close to home.

She pushed him away, ran out of the unit and ran down Strathmerton Street to her nearby home.

With the help of her housemate, she was able to call the police.

Sarah said the assault had a significant impact on her life.

“It’s really scary not knowing. You don’t know who it is,” she said. “I don’t know if they know where I live or if I visit the area often.

“It took me a while to get back to my normal routine…I’m not going out with friends, I’m not doing the things I used to do, and I’m not drinking at all.”

Police believe the unit is unmanned and frequented by squatters.

It is believed that there was no one else in the unit at the time.

Police released a computer-generated image of the man believed to have carried out the assault.

The man is of Middle Eastern appearance and is believed to be between 50 and 60 years old, with dark hair, olive skin, and a thin build, with a clean shaven head.

Senior Constable Trelawney Hand said: “Someone will know this man and we hope the public will come forward. We don’t want something like this to happen to anyone else.”

“Please do the right thing and turn yourself in…It’s pretty horrific what the victim had to go through.”

If you have any information about the man police are searching for, please contact Crime Stoppers.

*Sarah is not her real name, police are using a pseudonym to protect her identity