Detectives in Dundee have revealed a timeline of events after a 16-year-old girl was raped in the city centre.
Officers are hunting a man aged about 20 after the teenager was assaulted on Cowgate early on Sunday, moments after leaving a nearby pub.
Police held a briefing at the scene of the attack – a small private car park – on Tuesday as they launched a fresh appeal for information.
DI Graeme Wishart, leading the investigation, revealed what happened in the moments before and after the rape.
Dundee city centre rape: Timeline of events
The timeline given by police is as follows:
- The victim and her friend left the Town House pub at the corner of King Street and Cowgate at around closing time in the early hours of Sunday morning
- The girls – both aged 16 – stopped on Cowgate to decide how to make their way home
- The suspect – not known to the girls beforehand – approached the pair before engaging them in conversation and gaining their trust
- The victim was left alone with the man and her friend headed for home
- The man raped the girl in the car park between 1am and 1.30am
- The victim, visibly upset, made her way into the city centre and approached a member of the public
- Officers on patrol were alerted to the incident
Police were then sent to Cowgate where they secured the area around the car park for forensic examination, which took place later on Sunday morning.
Officers have since trawled CCTV in a bid to identify the suspect.
DI Wishart told The Courier: “Unfortunately, we still have not identified the person responsible.
“Rest assured, we are doing all we can to have him identified as soon as possible.
“Thankfully these incidents are quite rare and there is nothing at this stage to suggest this is anything but an isolated incident.”
Describing what happened on Sunday, DI Wishart said: “The female has been out socialising with her friend and they have been in the Cowgate and it is at that stage that the male responsible has approached them.
“The females had been arranging their own way home and at that point the friend made her own way home, leaving the female with the person responsible.
“It is at that point the person responsible attacked the female.
“He seems to have approached them and engaged in conversation.
“I think it would be fair to say he had gained trust.
“To make it absolutely clear, this is two girls who have been out socialising and it has been the end of their night.
“They were going their separate ways and were arranging their own way home, as they are absolutely entitled to do.
“It is then the male responsible who has taken that opportunity to sustain the attack on the female.
“The area where the females have been, they have been at the side of the car park and have walked into the area of the car park.”
He added: “There is a dedicated team of officers, dedicated CCTV officers and a specialist team of officers to deal with the victim.
“It is 24 hours a day, round the clock, trying to get this person identified.
“It has been a very traumatic experience for the victim and she is being supported by her family and specialist officers.
“She has been incredibly brave to come forward to the police to report this and we are just trying to give her as much support as possible.
“We do believe this was an isolated incident but I think it is important for people to be aware of their own personal safety and take precautions where they need to.”
More details revealed about Dundee rape suspect
The suspect is described as a white male in his early 20s, who is of slim build and average height.
Police have also confirmed he had short, brown – possibly auburn – hair and a short beard.
He was wearing a beige/khaki jacket or overshirt, a black t-shirt, black trousers and light brown boots.
DI Wishart added: “We believe the person responsible has come on foot and left on foot so there is every chance that he could have been in the city centre socialising.
“There is every chance that he could be a local person.
“He was alone at the time of the attack.”
