Appeal to find victim's purse after serious sex attack in Armley

The victim, aged in her twenties, was attacked by a man as she walked through Gotts Park, in Armley, at about 11pm on Saturday.

She managed to get away and ran out of the park onto Rombalds Grove where she was helped by two women who have now been identified and spoken to by officers.

During the incident the victim lost her purse - which was a black Primark purse with a gold bow on it and a gold zip with a tassel.

Searches have been carried out in the park but the purse has not been recovered and police suspect it may have been taken by the attacker and later dumped.

Detective Inspector James Entwistle, of Leeds District CID, said: “We are continuing to support the victim and are carrying out extensive enquiries as part of our ongoing efforts to identify the suspect.

“The victim lost her purse during the attack and it’s possible it was taken by the attacker. It is quite a distinctive item and we are keen to hear from anyone who has found such a purse dumped in the area or anywhere else.

“We are treating this incident very seriously and would like to hear from anyone who witnessed anything suspicious around the time of the attack or who has any other information that could assist the investigation.

“We are also liaising with our colleagues on the local neighbourhood policing team who have increased their patrols of the area to reassure the community following this incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Leeds District CID via 101 quoting crime reference 13200321901 or online via the Live ChatInformation can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.