Police hunting park rapist

POLICE have trawled almost 800 hours of CCTV footage as officers continue their hunt for a brutal park rapist.

A woman was attacked in Princess Alice Park, behind a popular retail park of the same name in New Oscott, Sutton Coldfield, between 8pm and 9pm on Sunday, October 3.

The suspect was described as white, aged 20 to 35, of medium to stocky build and was said to be “extra broad” around the shoulders. He spoke with a Birmingham accent and wore a grey tracksuit and black trainers.

Police believe the suspect may have been stalking the park in the days and possibly weeks prior to the horrific attack. Officers have reviewed 792 hours of CCTV footage in a bid to trace the attacker. No images have yet been released to the media.

Chief Insp Wayne Carter, responsible for policing in the area, said: “I know the local strength of feeling about this.

People are rightly shocked that this has happened on their doorstep.

“They’re also worried by the news that this man is suspected of hanging around in the park for the past few days or even weeks. We only know this because people who have heard what happened and who use the park have told us. That’s really useful information and I’d ask that people keep telling us what they know.

“We’re working at full speed to find this man. We’ve carried out fingertip searches of the park, reviewed hours of CCTV, spoken to the survivor and people in the area and we’ve got evidence being analysed by forensic experts.

“We’ve also checked whether there have been reports of similar attacks. At this time, we don’t believe there have been but we won’t rule anything out.”

In a bid to improve the park and make it safer, Birmingham City Council has been clearing overgrowth.