Newcastle Upon Tyne, England – January 24, 2015: The Redheugh Bridge is a road bridge on the River Tyne, England, connecting Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. Credit: GettyCOPS have launched an urgent appeal for information after a woman was reportedly raped and assaulted by a stranger.
The victim, in her 20s, was targeted by a man next to Redheugh Bridge in Gateshead, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police said a report was received between 1.20am and 2.10am that a woman had been assaulted and raped by an unknown man.
It was reported to have taken place in an area between the access point of the bridge and the junction with Askew Road.
The victim then fled to a safe place before were contacted – she continues to be supported by specialist officers.
On Tuesday, cops launched an appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
The force are particularly keen to speak to anyone travelling in the area at the time who may have dashcam footage.
The offender is described as a tall, white man with blonde hair and a local accent.
He is believed to be in his 20s and was also wearing a black puffer jacket.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Deavin, of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding team, said: “Firstly, I want to recognise the bravery of the victim and we will continue to offer them any specialist support we can.
“As soon as we received the report, we began an investigation and have been carrying out extensive enquiries.
“We are now appealing to the public for help and asking anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious to come forward.
“If you do have any information – no matter how insignificant you think it may be – please do contact us, as it could assist with our enquiries.
“We are committed to bringing perpetrators of these types of crimes to justice.”
He added: “While incidents of this nature are extremely rare in our area, we recognise the concern they can cause.
“The safety of the public is our utmost priority and we have been carrying out extra patrols in the area.
“Anyone who has any concerns is encouraged to speak to an officer.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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