New DNA tests link 'horrific' Edinburgh rape and sex assault

A woman has urged the public to help find the man who sexually assaulted her and then raped a teenager in Edinburgh more than five years ago.

Detectives suspected the same man was responsible for the "horrific offences", which took place three weeks apart in August 2015.

And now new DNA tests have finally confirmed both cases are linked.

The mystery profile is not on the national database and does not match any found at any other UK crime scene.

The woman told BBC Scotland: "I think the fact that it wasn't a one off incident just highlights the importance of finding this person.

"There are plenty of other young girls who could be victims and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. People should try and help if they can."

In both cases the women had travelled on buses late at night and were walking home when the man - who was not a fellow passenger - ran up from behind and knocked them to the ground.

The first incident took place in the city's Craiglockhart area at around 22:30 on 5 August. The 21-year-old victim was sexually assaulted in the street before the attacker made off.

The same man struck again in Balerno after midnight on 27 August, when he forced a 19-year-old woman into a field. He claimed to have a knife and raped her.

Detectives had a full DNA profile of the suspect and, following a reinvestigation last year, it was matched with a forensic sample recovered from the sexual assault three weeks earlier.

The woman who was attacked in Craiglockhart said: "Because it's been so many years I'd lost hope that they would find this man, and I've probably largely dealt with my feelings and tried to move past it.

"This man is very dangerous and it hits home how serious his intentions were.

"Initially I was just terrified. A lot of girls, young women, and maybe men as well, when you walk home by yourself it can be a bit scary but this was a Wednesday night, I'd been watching Bake Off with my friends, it wasn't that late. I was just going home to get ready for work the next day.

"I was pretty scared for a long time afterwards. I don't walk home in the dark any more."

Police have described the suspect as white, in his 20s to 30s, of slim or athletic build and with longer than average hair.

Amanda Pirie, lead forensic scientist with the Scottish Police Authority, reviewed all the work that was undertaken in the original investigation.

She said: "We retested samples taken at the time and carried out more tests with the new DNA testing systems that we now have.

"They're much more sensitive. We can get DNA profiles from much smaller amounts of material than we were able to do before. We can get DNA profiles that are usable where we previously just didn't get anything at all.

"We can now say with confidence that the person responsible for one of these incidents is also the offender in the second case."

Craiglockhart and Balerno are both quiet, affluent, residential neighbourhoods rarely troubled by serious crime. It seems unlikely a stranger to Edinburgh would know either area but officers are keeping an open mind.

Det Insp Jon Pleasance said the city would have been busy at the time with tourists and people attending the festivals.

That year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

He said: "We believe we're looking for the person you'd least suspect; someone whose community wouldn't think is responsible for such horrific offences.

"We're asking everyone, please think back to the summer of 2015. Was there someone in your life - a friend, family member or colleague - acting different? Was their behaviour around this time at all unusual for them?

"Don't dismiss your concerns, no matter how small they seem. We have a full DNA profile of the person responsible and so can quickly and completely rule people out. Help us find who did this."