By Martin Graham
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a young woman was assaulted close to one of Edinburgh best known streets during a suspected sex attack.
The 17-year-old was walking home at around 2am on Friday August 20 when a man grabbed her from behind and dragged her into West Scotland Street Lane.
He knocked her to the ground and assaulted her, and was in the process of trying to remove her clothing when the woman called for help and was aided by several members of the public who came to her rescue.
The suspect ran away and was last seen on Scotland Street – made famous by author Alexander McCall Smith.
Her attacker was described as being white, between 20 and 30 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and wearing casual clothing.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: “Thankfully, the victim was uninjured and was quickly assisted my members of the public following this incident.
“Nevertheless, given the apparent sexual motivation of this assault, we are treating this extremely seriously and are urging anyone who was in Scotland Street or the surrounding areas and saw anything suspicious to come forward immediately.
“Similarly, anyone with information that can assist with our enquiries or who recognises the description of the suspect should also contact police.”
Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
