Woman raped in the centre of Brighton

Detectives are searching for man who raped a woman he had just met in the centre of Brighton.

Sussex Police said: “At about 1am on Friday 31 July the 47-year-old local woman was walking down London Road towards the Easy Hours convenience shop at Richmond Terrace when a man approached and tried to engage her in conversation. She declined to do so and walked on to the shop.

“However, when she came out of the shop the same man approached her again and they sat at the taxi rank by St Peter’s Church together as she waited for a taxi.
“None arrived and they went to a bench at The Level by the children’s play park where he then subjected her to the attack.

“He subsequently walked away and the victim made her way home.

“The man is described as white, in his late twenties, with short, dark straight hair under a grey woollen hat.

“He wore dark-coloured jeans with a light-coloured belt and a dark-coloured, zip-fronted top made of a fabric similar to tracksuit bottoms. His footwear was dark, with flashes of a lighter colour around the sole.”

Detective Constable Léonie White said: “If you were in or around The Level in the early hours of that Friday morning, which was the day before Pride weekend, and saw this man either on his own or with a woman, we would like to hear from you.

“It is also possible that a taxi driver may have picked the woman up and dropped her off in the nearby Beaconsfield Road area, near the railway viaduct.

“If you have any other information that might assist, please also contact us.”

Anyone with information is asked to phone Sussex Police on 101, email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.