A woman has been gang raped by a group of men in a Manchester park in what police have called a “truly horrendous” attack.
The victim, in her 20s, was set upon in Kirkup Gardens in the city’s Wythenshawe area at 12.30am on Tuesday.
Police described the crime as “random and sickening”.
Parts of the park remained taped off on Tuesday afternoon as inquiries continued – but no arrests have yet been made.
Chief Inspector Cara Charlesworth, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “A truly horrendous incident took place last night and we are supporting the victim at this awful time with our specialist officers.
“At this stage this appears to have been a random and sickening attack and our officers are working tirelessly to identify those responsible.
“In the meantime, we have increased our police presence in the area, and the public should feel reassured that if they have any concerns they can approach our officers directly.
“I appreciate it was the middle of the night and there won’t have been many witnesses to this attack, but if anyone has any information then I implore you to get in touch as every bit of detail at this stage has the potential to be crucial.”
Sarah Judge, a councillor for the area and lead for women on Manchester City Council, said the news had left residents in shock.
“It’s very distressing both for the individual involved but and also people in the local community,” she told The Independent, labelling it a “ferocious attack”.
She added: “The council has recently passed a motion regarding violence against women and girls in Manchester and the need to do more to stamp it out following the Sarah Everard [case].
“This just shows how absolutely necessary that motion was and how far we still have to go on this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 6063 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
