'Call Police' Over Rape Says SF

Sinn Fein has urged people in west Belfast to contact the police with information following the rape of a young foreign national in a local park. The young woman was attacked and raped as she was walking in Colin Glen Forest Park on Saturday afternoon.

One of the republican party's MLAs, Jennifer McCann, urged people to help police find the attacker.

"All of us have a responsibility to ensure, first of all, that the people who carried out these crimes are taken off the streets and face a lengthy prison sentence that reflects the seriousness of that," she said.

"We also need to ensure that parks and public areas are safe for anyone to use whether they are visitors coming into the community or people in the local community."

Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers has also slammed the sex attacker: "It's just unbelievable any person being raped, especially a visitor," he said.

"It is dreadful that someone coming here should end up like this. A girl never, ever forgets something like that. I hope she makes a full recovery."

The UUP man said the perpetrator must be brought to justice.

"Sadly we've had a number of rapes in Belfast and Northern Ireland," he said.

"We have to ask ourselves what is going through the mind of someone who commits this dreadful crime.”

The victim was approached by a youth - about 16 years old – who walked with her for a short time and then dragged her into bushes and sexually assaulted her.

It is understood the woman, who is in her 20s, was on holidays in Belfast. She is Chinese and has dark hair.

The man is described as being aged around 16, 5ft 6ins to 5ft 8ins in height, thin in appearance with ginger or dark brown curly hair.

In a similar incident in Belfast in 2006, a 19-year-old German girl was raped by a teenager in Woodvale Park.

The innocent student was attacked by two 14-year-old boys, armed with a kitchen knife, and then robbed.

Anyone who was in Colin Glen Forest Park at about 3pm on Saturday or who has information is asked to contact detectives at the Rape Crime Unit, Ladas Drive on 0845 600 8000. Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 0800 555 111.

(BMcC)