Police hunt man after rape in rural market town

Police are searching for a man after a woman was raped on a rural road in a market town.

The woman was attacked in Malton at about 01:00 GMT on Sunday close to Orchard Fields, behind Tate-Smith Wines, according to North Yorkshire Police.

They said the suspect was a man aged 40-50, of stocky build, about 5ft 10in (1.8m) tall with facial hair, but not a full beard and he had bare arms.

Det Ch Insp Dave Ellis said there would be an increased police presence around Malton to reassure the community in the coming days.

He added: "We understand that local people will be very concerned about this incident.

"Our Major Investigation Team are carrying out extensive and expeditious enquiries to identify and locate the suspect and our crime scene investigators and search teams remained at the scene until Monday afternoon to carry out a detailed examination of the scene."

Police urged anyone who may have seen the suspect or a woman walking near Sheepfoot Hill, the fire station, or Orchard Fields, to urgently contact them.

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