Police investigating a rape that took place in Peterborough last September have released an e-fit of the suspect.

The victim, a woman in her 30s, was walking along Padholme Road from Cavendish Street at about 9.30pm, when she was approached by a man in a dark multipurpose vehicle with a sliding door.

The car stopped near the barber shop on Padholme Road and the driver tried to talk to the victim through the passenger window of the car. She ignored him and carried on walking down Padholme Road towards North Bank Road.

Around 20 minutes into her walk she saw the vehicle parked up on the side of the road.

The victim continued to walk down North Bank Road before stopping at some green land, where she was grabbed from behind, pulled into a bush and assaulted and raped.

The victim, who suffered minor injuries from the assault, recognised the man as being the same person from the car.

In addition to the e-fit the man is described as: Middle Eastern or East Asian looking with an Afghanistan accent. He is approximately 5’4” and chubby with a round face and black hair, three inches long, cut in a pudding bowl cut. He was wearing blue navy drawstring tracksuit bottoms with a dark t-shirt.

Detective Chief Inspector Jerry Waite, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “It’s been six months since this horrendous assault took place. We have been following various lines of enquiry since then which have led to the production of this e-fit.

“Officers will be out in the coming weeks talking to people in the area who own people carriers with sliding doors, to eliminate them from our enquiries. We are also appealing for anyone who owns a vehicle matching the description in that area of the city to come forward.

“As we continue to investigate this terrible crime I urge anybody who can identify the man in the e-fit to contact us.

“This is a serious incident which has had a significant impact on the victim. We remind people that we are treating this as an isolated incident, however we would advise people to take the usual personal safety precautions. If you go out after dark, stick to well-lit and busy areas and let someone know where and when you are expected.”

Anyone with information should contact the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Herefordshire Major Crime Unit on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.