Fresh CCTV issued after sexual assaults in Liverpool

Detectives have issued fresh CCTV images and are appealing for a Good Samaritan to come forward following two reports of sexual assault by a man in Liverpool.

The first report took place at around 6.30pm on Wednesday 20 December on Crosfield Road, Edge Hill. The suspect sexually assaulted a woman in her 60s and as she fell to the ground a car stopped in the road and he ran off. No injuries were reported but the victim was very shaken by the incident.

The second incident occurred at around 7pm on Thursday 28 December, on the footpath near to Liverpool Tennis Centre, off Picton Road in Wavertree. A woman in her 40s was walking her dog when a man pushed her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. She resisted and he made off towards the Mystery Park where he was seen a short time later on Westdale Road.

Extensive CCTV and witness enquiries have been conducted, and detectives have now sourced clearer CCTV images of a man we believe could assist in their investigation, as well as new information about a man who came to the aid of one of the victims.

Officers are appealing for a man in an orange high vis jacket witnessed part of the incident on 20 December to come forward as he could have vital information that may assist enquiries. He reportedly stopped in a dark estate car when he saw the incident, disturbing the suspect and chasing him before detaining him on nearby Durning Road. The suspect eventually made off on foot.

Detective Inspector Rob Pritchard said: “I would like to reassure the public that incidents such as this are extremely rare and we are taking this incident extremely seriously. 

“Both victims remain, understandably, very distressed by their experiences and we are determined to bring the man responsible to justice.

“Detectives found these new images while trawling hours of CCTV in the area of both incidents, and we would urge people to study them closely to see if you recognise the man pictured as we believe he could have information that will help our enquiries.

“We continue to have an enhanced policing presence in both locations, including neighbourhood and Matrix officers in both uniform and plain clothes.”

Det Insp Pritchard added: “I am appealing to the man featured in this image, or anyone who recognises him to come forward as we believe he could hold information that could be vital to our continuing enquiries.

“Equally, if you are the Good Samaritan who potentially spared the first victim further harm, then we would love to hear from you as we piece together what happened and who did this.

“In the meantime we would ask members of the public to continue to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious to us.

“I would also ask for anyone who believes they could assist the investigation with information that may help our enquiries, including CCTV and dashcam footage of either incident, to also contact us.” 

Det Insp Pritchard added: “Providing support to victims of sexual assault has never been more important, and I would encourage anyone experiencing this to report it to us and we will support you every way we can.  

"If anyone who has suffered a sexual offence and you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are thoroughly investigated."

If you have any information on the incident, please contact Merseyside Police via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 23001331388, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. 

Anyone who wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by a specially trained officer.

If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.

These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it. 

If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation and court processes.

You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.

With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.

Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.

If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here: 
https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/

Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside

Alternatively, you can report a sexual offence by calling 101 or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.

We have recently launched our plan to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls and help women and girls to feel safe and be safe across Merseyside. The link can be found here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/police-forces/merseyside-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/2022/our-commitment-to-keeping-women-and-girls-safe-in-merseyside/our-approach/

For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service https://www.police.uk/pu/notices/streetsafe/street-safe/ for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, e.g. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, e.g. being followed or verbally abused. Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.