The girl’s mum has blamed herself for the assault because was ‘five minutes late’ picking her daughter up
A £5,000 reward has been offered to catch a man who raped a 13-year-old girl in a cemetery as police on Tuesday released CCTV of a person of interest.
The teenager was walking home from school alone when she was approached by a stranger in Retford, Nottinghamshire, at 3.30pm on 12 December 2019.
The man told her not to make a sound before raping her in Retford Cemetery, by a bridge near the entrance along North Road.
Police have released CCTV footage of a man walking along Leafield, close to the cemetery, at around the time of the incident on the day of the 2019 general election, and have renewed appeals for information.
At the time of the offence, Crimestoppers offered a £1,000 reward for information that helps catch the offender.
On Tuesday, Nottinghamshire Police revealed that the reward had been increased to £5,000.
Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “This is an awful, heinous crime which should never have happened.
“An innocent child has gone through a terrible ordeal which may sadly affect her for the rest of her life.”
Patsalides encouraged anyone who has information about the attack to come forward anonymously, saying: “We know it can be difficult to speak up about someone you suspect may be involved in a serious crime, especially if they are close to you.”
Crimestoppers can be reached 27/7 on 0800 555 111 or via a secure anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
“Nobody will know you contacted us and you will be doing the right thing for the young victim. No piece of information is too small to tell us,” Patsalides said.
Detective Inspector Craig Hall from Nottinghamshire Police said officers would like to hear from anyone who was near the cemetery at the time of the crime and “may have seen anything suspicious”.
“This case may now be over two years old but the date may well stick in people’s minds as it coincided with the 2019 general election,” Hall said.
“I am appealing for anyone who may suspect or even know who the attacker may be to make contact. Due to the nature of evidence recovered, officers are able to eliminate persons from this enquiry.”
The mother of the victim earlier this month told how she “blamed herself” for the attack as she was late picking her daughter up on the school run.
Speaking two years after the attack on BBC’s Crimewatch, the mum said: “It feels like my fault because I was five minutes late.
“If I was on time she wouldn’t have been hurt, I blame myself. “I’ve noticed my daughter is quieter since the incident, she’s a strong girl but I know it has affected her. “When this happened my daughter was just 13, what happened took that 13-year-old girl away.”
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