Teenager indecently assaulted in Heywood

A man indecently assaulted a teenager when she was out walking in Heywood.

At about 1am on Friday 29 February 2008, the 17-year-old girl was walking on a path through a darkly lit area on Starkey Street.

She was approached by the offender who knocked her to the ground and then pinned her down. He then indecently assaulted her.

The victim managed to struggle free and ran off before contacting police.

The offender is described as being black or of mixed race, about 19 or 20 years old, of muscular build and about 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in tall. He was wearing a light blue scarf over his face, a hooded Nike jacket with the logo written across the front of the jacket, a peaked bobble hat and tracksuit bottoms with a white stripe running down them.

Detective Inspector Daryl Chadwick, of Rochdale CID, said: "The young woman was subjected to a terrifying ordeal and has been left traumatised by what happened to her.

"The offender is clearly someone who we want to apprehend and we are following a number of lines of inquiry, including house-to-house inquiries and viewing CCTV footage.

"We will be deploying extra patrols in the area to reassure the community but I would stress this is being treated as an isolated incident. I do not want to cause any undue alarm in the community but I would urge any young girls to take heed of a few safety tips. In particular, keep to busy and well lit areas, avoiding shortcuts, and if possible, stay with friends."

Anyone with information about this incident or who may have witnessed what happened is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4646 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 872 5050 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.

General safety tips:

• Keep to well lit and busy areas, avoid shortcuts.
• Stick with friends.
• Plan how you are going to get home.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Make sure someone knows where you are and what time you are due home.
• Carry a personal attack alarm