Rape of woman in Walsall being treated as racially aggravated, police say

An urgent police appeal has been launched to identify a man believed to have raped a woman in a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall just after 7.15pm on Saturday after a woman was reported to be distressed in the street.

Officers established that the woman, aged in her 20s, had been raped and assaulted at a nearby property by a man she did not know, the force said.

It confirmed that the incident was being treated as “racially aggravated”.

The attacker is described as white, aged in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time.

Police released CCTV footage of the suspect and asked anyone who knows his identity to ring 999 immediately.

Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer, of West Midlands Police, said: “This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible.

“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible.

“While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time.

“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need.

“At this stage we are not linking this attack to any other offences.”

Last month, a Sikh woman was raped in grassland on Tame Road, Oldbury, in an incident also treated as racially aggravated by police.

Preet Kaur Gill MP, the Labour (Co-op) MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, posted on X: “Deeply shocked and saddened that we are hearing of yet another racially aggravated rape this time in Walsall.

“West Midlands Police have reported a rape and assault of a young woman in her 20s in the Park Hall area, described as racially aggravated.”

In a statement on Sunday evening, West Midlands Police confirmed that officers from the public protection unit, local policing officers and forensic officers had worked overnight on the investigation.

Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby said: “Our focus is on supporting the investigators in identifying and arresting the attacker.

“Walsall is a diverse area and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities.

“We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact West Midlands Police on 101 or the live chat online, quoting log 4027 of 25 October.