A man who carried out a sex attack on a 23-year-old woman in her own home may have sneaked back into the property and stolen a mattress in a bid to cover up his crime.
The woman was assaulted in her home in the Bridgend area of Perth on Monday night.
But between the incident occurring and her reporting it to police on Wednesday morning someone broke in and made off with a king-sized mattress.
Tayside Police have received several reports of a man carrying a mattress through the area and asked other potential witnesses to get in touch.
Acting Detective Inspector Marc Lorente said they were also interested in any reports of someone dumping a mattress following the crime.
It has emerged that the police have experienced a surge in demand for rape alarms since the shocking assault
It is understood that the force’s entire stock of the £2 alarms has been bought by worried residents.
A spokeswoman for Tayside Police said they had experienced a ”significant rise” in alarm sales since the attack, but was unable to say exactly how many had been sold.
The force is also investigating a string of sneak thefts in the Bridgend area.
In another incident, a pensioner suffered facial injuries in an attempted robbery just hours before the sex attack.
The force has since issued safety advice to the public. They have been urged to carry the alarms to deter potential attackers and to keep to areas busy with other people.
Following the attacks, nearby residents have spoken of their unease and of increasing their security arrangements.See further coverage in Saturday’s Courier