Woman on bridge grabbed from behind by stocky man wearing puffer jacket and sexually assaulted

Police have moved to reassure the community after a 25-year-old woman was forced to run off from the man in Petersfield.

The incident happened between 12.45am and 1.05am on Monday, May 16, as the victim was sat on a concrete bridge in Goodyear Meadow listening to music when an unknown man approached her from behind.

‘The man then pulled her back from the bridge and sexually assaulted her before she managed to run away,’ a police statement said.

The man is described as black, aged between 25 to 30 who is 5ft 11in to 6ft tall with a stocky build.

He was wearing a black puffer jacket with a hood, black Nike tracksuit bottoms, black leather/ faux leather gloves and black trainers.

Det Con Jonathan Duggan from Basingstoke CID said: ‘Whilst we are treating this as an isolated incident, we would like to reassure the local community that we are carrying out a thorough investigation and all lines of enquiry are being followed.

‘We are really keen to hear from anyone with information that may assist us in identifying the man responsible.

‘Were you in the area at the time? Perhaps you saw a man matching the description given or saw or heard something suspicious?

‘Were you driving in the area at the time? Do you have any dash-cam footage?

‘If you have any information that could help our investigation, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it is vital you get in touch.’

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 44220192334.