Police Hunt Four After Woman Raped In Gang Attack

A woman walking her dog was brutally raped by a gang of four men in the west end of Glasgow in the early hours of yesterday.

The victim, 30, was out with her Labrador in Overnewton St in the Yorkhill area of the city when she was attacked by four men, described by police as Afro-Caribbean.

She was pushed to the ground and held down by two men while another man raped her. The victim was then raped in turn by each of the other three men. The assault took place at 12:40am yesterday in an area close to Yorkhill Hospital popular with students and nurses.

The woman managed to raise the alarm as the attackers fled in the direction of Lumsden Street. Although she was injured in the attack she did not require hospital treatment, Strathclyde Police said.

Detective Inspector John Mellon said: “This was an extremely frightening attack on a lone female, which has left her extremely traumatised. It is important that we identify these males as soon as possible and I would ask anyone with information to contact the police.”

The first suspect was described by police as in his mid-twenties, over 6ft tall, of Afro-Caribbean appearance and well built. He had dreadlocks which reached his lower back and he was wearing a red T-shirt, black tracksuit bottoms and white training shoes. The other three suspects were also described as of Afro-Caribbean appearance.

The scene of the assault, an area of grassland next to a children’s play area, was yesterday cordoned off by police tape, while a car which may have been touched by the rapists was dusted for fingerprints.

News of the attack has disturbed local residents, including Elizabeth Craig, 44, who heard a woman scream at around the time the attack took place. She said: “My back window looks out on to that area. It was a lassie’s scream, and it sounded like a right frightened scream. I didn’t see anything though.”

Police patrols have been stepped up in Overnewton Street in a bid to allay public fears, but residents said they were deeply concerned.

One neighbour, who allows her children to use the playpark, said she was horrified when she discovered what had happened. The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “The police told me it was nothing to worry about, but my kids have been playing in the park alone and anything could have happened. We all should have been warned.”

Jill Irvine, 32, a civil engineer, who has lived in the area for six years, said: “It is really scary. We never get any trouble here. It’s normally quite quiet. I am worried and I am definitely going to take more care and get taxis to my door from now on. It must have been terrifying for that poor girl.”

Stacey McCue, 21, a sales adviser, said she regularly walked her dog round the square at the end of the street. She added: “I have lived here all my life and I can’t believe this has happened. I walk my dog myself round here. I definitely will not be out walking alone. I am in shock.”

Last night police were examining CCTV footage and conducting door-to-door inquiries in a bid to identify the rapists.

• TWO men who took turns raping a vulnerable young victim – whom they taunted with cries of “white scum” – were jailed for a total of 12 years yesterday.

The 26-year-old woman was attacked after being driven to a remote country lane. Ranna Singh, 26, and Mohammed Yousaff, 35, both of Glasgow, were each given six-year sentences at the High Court in the city.

Temporary judge Alistair Stewart, QC, told them: “You put a vulnerable young woman through what must have been a terrifying ordeal. She was left in the countryside on a cold November night wearing very few clothes.”

He also ordered the pair to be monitored in the community for two years after their release.

The court heard that Singh raped the woman first. Yousaff then raped the sobbing victim as Singh called her “white scum”. Throughout her ordeal, she pleaded with them: “Please stop.”

The court heard the former prostitute had been forced back on to the streets after three years by her boyfriend to pay for his drug debt.

The attack happened on her first night back. Paul Kearney, prosecuting, said: “This woman was subjected to a forceful and degrading ordeal. She was told: ‘Just do as we tell you, or you’re going to be murdered and put in the waterfront.’ She thought she was going to be killed.”

In evidence, the woman said the pair had initially been charming. But she said that changed when they arrived at the road adjacent to the B776 near to Bowfield House in Howwood, Renfrewshire.

The court heard she was shown a knife and told it would be used on her. The woman escaped when they dragged her out of the car. She begged them for a cigarette and used it to burn Yousaff before fleeing. She hid under a hedge until she heard their car drive away.

Both men were questioned after forensic evidence linked them to the crime scene. When interviewed by police, Singh asked: “How can you rape a prostitute?”

Both men denied rape and claimed any sex was consensual. However, they

were convicted of threatening to kill the woman, presenting a knife at her and raping her on 19 November, 2005. Both men were placed on the sex offenders’ register.