Three bailed in Northampton rape inquiry

Three men arrested in connection with a series of rapes in Northampton have been released on bail.

Police said that a 36-year-old man who was arrested on Wednesday and two other men, aged 19 and 25, who were arrested on Thursday, had been released, pending further inquiries.

Three women were raped in the Northampton area between July 31 and August 8. There were also two attempted abductions during the same time period.

The women were all aged between 15 and 30. Two women, including the 15-year-old, managed to escape unharmed, while the other three women were raped.

The last woman, who was attacked, suffered head injuries and police said she appeared to have been hit over the head before she was raped.

All the woman were attacked between midnight and 3am and police issued a warning, asking all women to avoid being out alone late at night.

The main suspects in the case were described as black men with very dark skin, who were about 6ft tall and spoke with South African accents.

Police are still looking for two cars mentioned by some of the victims in connection with the attacks. They are a light-coloured Fiat Punto and a blue 7-series BMW with cream leather seats.

Detective Chief Inspector John Jones said: “In any large inquiry of this type, we expect a number of arrests to be made, some of which may turn out to be significant and some of which might turn out not to be as significant as first thought.

“A number of those arrested may subsequently be released on delayed charge bail while further inquiries, including forensic tests, are carried out.”

(KMcA/SP)