Renewed appeal for information relating to serious sexual assault in Stroud

Officers investigating the serious sexual assault of a woman in the Dudbridge area of Stroud earlier this week are renewing their appeal for witnesses.

Police received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted on the B4066 Dudbridge Road at around midday on Friday (22 July).

The attack took place near to the tunnel along the cycle path opposite Sainsburys and the victim was found in a distressed state by a member of public.

A number of people have since reported seeing a man acting suspiciously in the area and officers would like to hear from anyone else who also saw him.

He was described as being white, tall, of a slim build and had a large nose. He was wearing a dark hooded top and dark trousers.

Investigating officers made an arrest yesterday (Saturday 23 July) and a man has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries however they would still like to hear from anyone.

Detective Sergeant Faye Satchwell-Bennett from the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit said: "Please can I plead to the community to cast their minds back and recall seeing anyone matching the above description, particularly in and around the area in the few hours prior to the attack.

"Despite the arrest we are keen to gather more information and our investigation team continue to work on other lines of enquiry, including forensic enquires."

Anyone who saw suspicious activity or has information and hasn't yet spoken to police is asked to contact Gloucestershire Constabulary through the website, quoting incident 201 of 22 July: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/us/a-crime-that-has-already-been-reported/

You can also call police on 101 or give information anonymously to the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/