A woman was sexually assaulted as she walked home

A woman was sexually assaulted as she walked home in Rochdale.

It happened at about 1.50am on Friday 11 January 2013 when a 38-year-old woman was walking along Yorkshire Street.

She crossed over the road and saw a man at the junction of John Street, as she passed him he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her onto some nearby waste land and sexually assaulted her.

She screamed and struggled with the offender who ran off in the direction of Yorkshire Street.

He is described as Asian, about 5ft 6in tall, of slim build with short dark hair and a small moustache. He was wearing a black zip up jacket and dark coloured trousers.

Detective Constable David Read from Rochdale CID, said: “The victim has been left badly shaken up by this ordeal.

"We are working very hard to try and trace the man responsible for the assault. Detectives are carrying out a number of inquiries and we also have specially trained officers speaking to the victim.

"Incidents like this quite rightly cause some concern in the community, but I want to reassure everyone that we are treating this extremely seriously and now want to hear from anyone who may have heard or saw anything in the early hours of Friday morning."

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4644 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. GMP has specially trained officers in place to provide a first class response to victims and help support them through the criminal justice process.

St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, can also be contacted on 0161 276 6515. This provides a comprehensive and coordinated forensic, counselling and medical aftercare service to anyone in Greater Manchester who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and people can access them either as a self-referral or via Greater Manchester Police.