ALMOST 200 people have contacted police in connection with a brutal rape which began when a 21-year-old shopper was kidnapped at knifepoint from a supermarket car park.

James Mortlock

ALMOST 200 people have contacted police in connection with a brutal rape which began when a 21-year-old shopper was kidnapped at knifepoint from a supermarket car park.

But detectives desperate for key clues tonight appealed for more to come forward.

Officers renewed their appeal for information and CCTV footage ten days after the woman was abducted from the Tesco car park in Brandon and subjected to a terrifying two hour sex attack several miles away.

The victim was in the London Road car park at around 2.15pm on Saturday, June 14, and was called over by a man wanting help with heavy bags. She loaded a blue holdall into his 4x4 vehicle - at this point she was threatened with a knife, pushed inside, and ordered to lie down.

The rapist then drove her to a remote location about 20 minutes away, where he raped her, before dumping her in Wimbledon Avenue, Brandon, several hours later.

Officers are now viewing a number of CCTV tapes, consisting of hours of footage from across Brandon. Detective Inspector Martin Wright, of Suffolk Police's Major Investigation Team, said more was needed. “As we try to track where the offender entered and left Brandon on the 14th, we are viewing footage from all over the town, not just near Tesco.

“Anyone who has private CCTV, whether it be at a house or a business, is urged to contact us so we can view footage from that afternoon.

“I am continuing to appeal for anyone with any information about this incident to come forward. The response has been very positive, with almost 200 calls and e-mails in to the incident room so far, but there may still be people who have not contacted us.

“We believe that the offender had very good local knowledge and it could be someone else local who has a key piece of information which could identify the offender. No matter how small or insignificant it might be, it could help the investigation.

“I also want to hear from anyone who might have noticed the appearance of someone suddenly changing since the 14th, or a vehicle's appearance altering.

“A vehicle may have always been present at a certain place, but has now gone missing. If you have noticed something out of the ordinary that cannot be accounted for in the past 10 days, please contact us.”

The offender is described as white, in his late 50s or early 60s, around 5ft 3in tall, of medium build with a pot belly.

He had bushy white/grey sideburns, with heavy grey facial hair and a ruddy complexion. He was wearing a red woolly hat, a red fleece, black tracksuit bottoms, trainers and glasses. He was generally dirty and smoked roll ups.

The car is described as an older style dark coloured 4x4 with front seats only, a row of four blue spotlights on a bull bar at the front, and a rear door rather than a boot.

It is believed the car was in Tesco's car park when the female arrived to go shopping.

Officers are continuing to liaise with local landowners and a detective has gone up in the force helicopter to view the area around Brandon, to assist in identifying the location where the rape took place.

Posters have gone up around Brandon and in community locations across Forest Heath, appealing for information and displaying the e-fit likeness issued last week.

The incident room can be contacted on 01473 613824 or by e-mail at incident.room@suffolk.pnn.police.uk

Calls can also be made to Suffolk Police on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.