Police plea after woman raped as she walks home

A WOMAN was raped as she walked home after getting out of a taxi at the end of a night out.

The 46-year-old got into a black Hackney cab with a female friend between midnight and 1am on Sunday.

They picked up a male friend on the way home and the man and woman were dropped off in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow while the woman was driven on towards Knightswood.

She was dropped off at Alderman Road at Dyke Road and began to walk home but as she turned into Commore Drive a man grabbed her and raped her.

Police said she was left "extremely traumatised" by the ordeal. They are keen to trace the taxi driver who dropped her off as they believe he may have important information, though they stressed they are not looking for him in connection with the attack.

Detective Inspector Stephen Healy, of Strathclyde Police, said: "This has been a dreadful assault on a lone female coming home from a night out. It is imperative we trace the person responsible.

"I would like to speak to the taxi driver who drove the group of friends home. It's possible he has information which could lead us to the suspect.

"I would also appeal to other taxi drivers who were in the area around the time of the incident - one of them may have seen a man fitting the description of the suspect and I would appeal to them to get in touch with us as a matter of urgency."

He said that this type of random attack is rare but that additional police patrols will be carried out in the area.

The suspect is believed to be in his 30s and is described as white, about 6ft, medium build and with short dark hair. He was unshaven and was wearing a dark-coloured tracksuit with white trainers. He had a stud earring in his right ear.