Woman assaulted in St Mary's Churchyard in Fratton

We are appealing for information following an assault which took place in St Mary’s Churchyard in Fratton in the early hours of this morning (14 July).

It was reported that a woman was assaulted unprovoked by a man she did not know, whilst she walked her dog at around 3am this morning.

The woman, in her 50s, sustained some facial injuries as a result but these did not require hospital treatment.

The man was described as white, aged in his 20s or 30s, with dark curly hair at ear length and he had a rucksack on his back.

He was described as wearing a light-coloured top and ‘Harry Potter’ style glasses.

We believe there may have been another man walking through the churchyard immediately prior to the attack, and would ask this person to come forward in case they saw something significant, or saw the person responsible for the assault in the area around this time.

Inspector Marcus Kennedy said: “The investigation is in the early stages at this time and officers have been conducting enquiries in the area today.

“Local officers will also be carrying out increased patrols in this area in light of this incident, and we are encouraging anyone who lives or walks through this area of Fratton and thinks they know who the person responsible for this assault is to please get in touch with us.”

Anyone with information is asked to call us on 101 quoting 44200260042.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

For advice on how to stay safe after dark, you can visit our website: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/violence/stay-safe/