Posters issued of sex offender

3:54pm Tuesday 19th August 2008

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Detectives investigating a serious sexual assault in Swindon are issuing posters in a renewed bid to identify the offender.

The incident happened between 1.20am and 2.30am on Sunday, July 13 when the female victim was walking home after a night out in the Old Town area.

She was at Marlborough Road at the junction with Evelyn Street when a man pulled her to an area near to the bridge and the public toilets and sexually assaulted her.

The offender is described as a white man, approximately 5'7" tall, of stocky build and with spiky hair.

He was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. He is also described as having a local accent.

An incident room has been set up and a detailed investigation is underway.

This has included a forensic examination of the scene, house-to-house enquiries and an appeal one week on where officers spoke to people who may have been in the area at the time of the offence.

The assault happened on the weekend of the cancelled Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The offender is said to have an accent local to the region and one line of enquiry is that he was in the area from Wiltshire or one of the neighbouring counties to attend the air show.

Investigating the incident, Detective Inspector Helen Glasgow said: "This was a frightening experience for the victim who was attacked after enjoying some time socialising in Old Town.

"We have a number of lines of enquiry at the moment but we do need help identifying the man.

"If anyone remembers seeing someone matching the description of this man I would ask them to get in touch with the incident room.

"This was a serious incident but it was also an isolated incident.

"Assaults such as this are extremely rare but when they do occur we will devote the necessary resources to identify the offender.

"Attacks such as this will not be tolerated by the police or the wider community and anyone found to be involved in this sort of behaviour can expect to be dealt with robustly."