DETECTIVES investigating the serious sexual assault of a teenage girl in Wivenhoe have released an e-fit of her attacker.

Roddy Ashworth

DETECTIVES investigating the serious sexual assault of a teenage girl in Wivenhoe have released an e-fit of her attacker.

The man officers are hunting for is described as white, aged 40 to 50 years old, 6ft tall, of skinny build with broad shoulders, with brown and grey hair which was fluffy and messy. He was wearing jeans and a grey jumper.

The teenager was walking at The Cross at around 4.10pm on Sunday when she was grabbed and threatened with a knife after the attacker, who was sitting in his car, asked her directions.

He forced her into the vehicle, drove it to the end of a cul-de-sac and then dragged her by the hair into an alleyway between Broome Grove and Vanessa Drive before sexually assaulting her.

The girl was so stunned and terrified that she was unable to scream for help and yesterday Det Insp John Ross, of Colchester CID, said it was important to catch the man responsible.

“This happened in the middle of a lovely sunny afternoon, in a busy area of the town, so someone must have seen something.

“We have three distinct points at which this man could have been seen - in his car at The Cross, partly into the driveway of the doctor's surgery, with the young woman leaning through the window; then at the end of the alleyway she was dragged into, and finally when the man returned to his vehicle and drove off.”

The car the man was driving was described as dark, four-doored, and possibly purple or blue.

Det Insp Ross added that although he did not necessarily think the man lived locally, he believed he must have known the area.

“My personal view is that it's somebody with local knowledge, because the alleyway he went to is not one you would know unless you were familiar with the area.

“You would have to have been there before to know it was even there.”

Yesterday and last night police were continuing house-to-house inquiries in Wivenhoe and Det Insp Ross said he would like local people to study the e-fit to see if they recognised the man.

“We are hoping this e-fit of the suspect will aid the public in helping them give us information to identify who this woman's attacker is.

“I am appealing to anyone who has any information about who this man is or details of the car he was driving to contact police as soon as possible.

“The community should be reassured this type of incident is very rare, and a detailed investigation is under way,” he added.

Anyone with information is asked to contact officers at Colchester CID on 0300 333 4444.