Police appeal after woman walking back home sexually assaulted in Derbyshire woods

The incident happened in a wooded area close to Cantelupe Road, at about 2.15am on Sunday, June 29 when a man sexually assaulted a woman who was walking home. The woman fought him off and managed to run away.

The man is described as white, around 5ft 10ins tall and of medium build. He had dark hair that was slicked back but had volume on top.

He was in his mid-twenties and was wearing a white Nike top with a small black tick on the front. The man had his nose pierced and was wearing a gold ball stud.

Inspector Dave Walker, who oversees policing in Erewash said: “We know that reports of this nature will understandably cause concern amongst the local community and would like to reassure the public that we have a dedicated team of detectives working around the clock to find the person responsible.

“Ilkeston is a tight-knit community, and we have become aware of speculation about this being connected to another incident in the same area on 14 June. We can confirm that these are not linked. A man was charged in connection with the earlier incident the following day and was remanded to prison on 16 June.

“We are very keen to speak with anyone who has information which may help with our enquiries into this incident.

“Were you in the area in the early hours of Sunday morning and did you notice anything suspicious?

“Do you recognise the description of the man, or do you have any other information that may help with our enquiries? If you can help, please contact us via the details below.

“We’re also asking anyone with private CCTV installed check this to see if it has captured any footage that may be of use to officers.

“People in the town will continue to see a policing presence into the weekend. If anyone has any concerns or information about the incident, we urge you to speak with them.”

Anyone who has any information that may help with this investigation is asked to contact Derbyshire police with reference 25*377896 using any of the methods below:

Website – use the online contact form; Facebook – send a private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page; or phone – call 101.

You can also anonymously contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111, or by visiting the CrimeStoppers website.