Hunt for man who raped teenage girl walking through park in daylight attack

A teenage girl was raped as she walked through a wooded area of a park in Sussex, prompting a police manhunt.

The girl was walking through Clair Park in Haywards Heath on October 21 when she was attacked by a man, police said. She cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Sussex Police said she is getting support from specially-trained officers after the incident, which happened in the afternoon when there was still daylight.

Detective Chief Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said: ‘This was a highly distressing incident, and the victim is receiving support from our officers.

‘We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, and since this report was received, officers have been carrying out high visibility patrols in the area.

‘But we are appealing for witnesses or anyone in the area at the time who may have seen something suspicious to come forward.

‘This also includes anyone with CCTV, doorbell, dashcam or mobile phone footage in the area at the time who has not already reported this to us.

‘The victim described that it was still light outside, this incident happened at a time when lots of people may have been in the area, so we are urging people who may have information to come forward.’

The attacker was wearing a black hooded top with a grey zip line and black jogging bottoms with cargo pockets.

Police described him as being either black or of a mixed ethnic background.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.