Police investigating the rape of a woman in South Oxhey are making an appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward and speak to police.

The woman, who is in her 50s, was attacked whilst walking along a footpath adjacent to a stream running parallel to Prestwick Road.

The time of when it happened was between 6.30 and 8pm on Sunday 16 May, on a footpath in a wooded area next to the stream.

She had fallen and lost consciousness. It was sometime later that she woke up, beside a tree and made her way home.

Detective Inspector Michael Macbeth, who is overseeing the investigation, said: “The victim has been left understandably traumatised by what happened and has only just felt able to consent to this media appeal being released.

“She is being supported by specially-trained officers in our Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT) at what continues to be an extremely difficult time for her.

“We were first made aware of this incident on Monday 24 May and have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since, and now we are extending our investigation by involving the public.

“The victim believes she saw a couple of people in the distance when she regained consciousness so we are keen to try and identify them. If you were walking in the area around the times stated, and you saw anything unusual, please contact us as you are likely to have information which could greatly assist our investigation.”

He added: “We are aware of some concern among residents that there has been a series of attacks on women in the local area, but I can confirm that this is the only report of this nature that we have received. We are not linking this incident to any other reports and are treating it as a standalone case.

“I understand that news of this incident will be worrying for the community, but incidents such as this are very rare and I would like to reassure the public that we are doing all we can to trace the person responsible.”

Please quote the crime reference 41/38743/21 from WLnews