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Pollice have launched an urgent appeal for witnesses following a shocking report of an attempted rape in the heart of Brighton.
The incident came to light after a bus driver contacted police in the early hours of Sunday morning, June 29. The driver told officers that a distressed woman had boarded his bus in Old Steine at around 12:10am and claimed a man had tried to rape her moments earlier in an alleyway near North Street.
According to the driver, the man suspected of the attempted assault also boarded the bus but left the area soon after, before police arrived.
Detectives are treating the incident with the utmost seriousness and have released a CCTV image of a man they wish to identify and speak to in connection with the report. Officers are appealing directly to the public to help trace this man, urging anyone who recognises him to contact Sussex Police immediately.
Crucially, officers are also seeking to locate the woman at the centre of the incident. Detectives believe she may hold vital information to help establish the full circumstances of what took place.
Detective Inspector Alice Button, leading the investigation, said “We are investigating this report and are urging witnesses or anyone who may be able to identify the man shown in the image to come forward.
We take reports of rape and attempted rape extremely seriously, and are working to establish the full circumstances around this report.”
Police are asking anyone with information, or who may have been in the Old Steine or North Street area around midnight on June 29, to report it online or call 101, quoting serial 22 of 29/06.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
