SA man charged with 1994 WA sex assault

A rape victim is relieved West Australian police have charged a man 20 years after her ordeal.

A 50-year-old Adelaide man has been charged with three counts of sexual penetration without consent, and one count each of indecent assault and deprivation of liberty.

Police allege the woman, then aged 35, visited a house in Gosnells, in Perth's east, in July 1994 where the man, then aged 30, restrained her and moved her to a nearby property where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted.

Material gathered during the initial investigation were re-examined as part of the Physical Materials Management Project (PMMP) and involved applying new technology to the case.

The accused man moved to South Australian 15 years ago and was arrested at his Adelaide home on Thursday.

His extradition was approved by an Adelaide court and he will appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Acting Commander Paul Coombes told reporters on Friday that the accused man was known to police in WA and South Australia, but had not been a suspect in 1994 and was not known to the alleged victim.

He said it was satisfying for the woman to have closure.

"The victim in this case has been a fantastic witness, a very strong individual in this case, and obviously she has been dealing with this issue for over 20 years," he said.

"Relief is probably the best word I can use to describe her reaction and obviously it's a very sensitive area for her."

PMMP was launched in September 2013 to improve how WA police handle physical material holdings gathered from crime scenes over more than 30 years.

It also allows police to apply modern technology on older, unsolved crimes including sex assaults and murders.