Man in 40s ‘pushed to the ground and raped’ near nature reserve

The man was walking along a public footpath when he was assaulted and raped by the attacker

A man in his forties is reported as having being pushed to the ground and raped while walking near the Maze Park Nature Reserve in Middlesbrough on Thursday, 29th of April. The man was walking down a local footpath which runs between the Tees Barrage and Newport Bridge - when the alleged attack took place and he described his attacker as the following: Black, 5ft 10, short black hair; late 30s, stocky build. and with a prominent gap between his front teeth. He added that the assailant was clean-shaven, dressed in dark clothing and although he spoke English, he was not fluent. The local Cleveland police believe that two women may have seen the victim and are urging them to come forward and contact the police if they have any information. Detective Sergeant Iain Pearson made the following statement: “All reports of rape are taken extremely seriously. Specially trained officers are supporting the victim and we are following up a number of lines of inquiry. "Neighbourhood officers will have a high-visibility presence in the area for reassurance and anyone with concerns can approach those officers and speak with them.” Once again, police are asking that the two passersby and any other witnesses/people who may have information regarding the incident should call them on 101 - the incident number is 068313.