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In yet another shocking incident, a woman in her 20s was raped Saturday in northern England in a “racially aggravated” attack.
The UK Police have issued an urgent appeal to trace the suspect, described as white, in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack.
The West Midlands Police said it was called to the Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday evening following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress on the street. The force released CCTV footage of the suspect as part of a public appeal for information and confirmed that they are treating the crime “as a racially aggravated attack.”
“This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the West Midlands Police, said on Sunday, according to news agency PTI.
“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time,” he said.
“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need,” he said.
While there is no information about the victim’s identity, PTI reported that local community groups claim that the victim is a Punjabi woman. Sikh Federation UK quoted local sources to say that the “young woman who was subject to a racially aggravated rape in Walsall is a Punjabi woman”.
Concerns have risen as the attack comes weeks after the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in the nearby Oldbury area.
“At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer said in his statement.
Specialist officers from the force’s Public Protection Unit, local policing officers, and forensic officers are said to be working to recover CCTV footage, speak to witnesses, and identify the suspect.
Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police said his team’s focus is on supporting the investigators in identifying and arresting the attacker.
“Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities. We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns, and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days,” he said.
The attacker apparently broke down the door of the house where she was living.
This is the second case of racially aggravated rape involving young women in their 20s.
On September 9, a Sikh woman in her 20s was raped and assaulted in broad daylight in England’s West Midlands county. The police called it “a racially motivated hate crime”.
According to the West Midlands Police, the woman was approached around 8.30 am by two white men while walking through a park. They said the assailants raped the woman and beat her up while hurling racist abuse, including telling her “You don’t belong in this country” and “Go back to your country.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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