Police are appealing for witnesses after an 18-year-old woman was assaulted in the alleyway next to Garrick House multistorey car park on Saturday September 29

The incident took place at approximately 6:45pm on Saturday evening (29 September) in an alleyway to the side of Garrick House multistorey car park.

At approximately 6:30pm, an 18-year-old woman was walking down Widemarsh Street near to Play Planet when an unknown man in his 40s has approached her and started speaking to her.

The woman walked away from the man, continuing her route along Widemarsh Street in the direction of Garrick House multistorey car park.

The man followed and pulled the woman into an alleyway at the side of the multistorey car park before sexually assaulting her. The woman was able to get away but was left shaken as a result of the assault.

The man continued to follow the woman for a short time before eventually walking away and entering The Exchange pub on Widemarsh Street.

The man is described as being white, in his 40s, approximately 5’10” tall, wearing a red jacket and a hat. A Hereford United logo is believed to have been present on an item of his clothing.

While enquiries are ongoing, a 48-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning and has since been released under investigation.

Detective Sergeant Frank Real from West Mercia Police said: “We understand that this incident will cause concern in the local community; however, I would like to reassure people that we are carrying out a thorough investigation and take all reports of this nature extremely seriously.

“The incident happened early on Saturday evening on a busy road so we know that there would have been a lot of people in the area at the time of the assault.

“We are therefore hopeful that someone may have seen either party or may have heard any contact exchanged between the victim and the suspect.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact West Mercia Police by calling 101 and quoting incident number 656s of 29 September . Alternatively you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. “