Terrifiyng assault on woman in Nelson

At around 5-30pm a 40-year-old local woman was walking along the footpath leading from Southfield Street to St Georges Road, Nelson, when a man grabbed her by the arm and attempted to pull her into bushes near a footbridge.

She managed to break free and run across the bridge, but the man caught up with her and pushed her to the ground where she was assaulted.

The victim managed to kick out at the man and struggled free before he fled the scene in the direction of Southfield Street.

Det. Sgt Mick Cross from East Division CID said: “This was a terrifying assault on a woman who was out walking on her own.

“We believe there may be a sexual motive to this and are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time that may have witnessed the incident or saw a man loitering or running away from the area to contact us.”

The offender has been described as an Asian man in his late twenties/early thirties, 5ft. 6in. and of medium build. It is believed he was wearing a blue tracksuit top with a hood up and matching blue bottoms.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting reference number 999 of June 5th 2014. Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org.