Woman is 'gang-raped by group of men in churchyard' as police hunt attackers

Police are appealing for information after a woman in her 30s was raped by a group of men in a churchyard. The attack happened in the grounds of St Mary's Church and the surrounding area of Banbury town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning, Thames Valley Police said.

Police are appealing for another woman who might have tried to intervene in the attack to come forward. Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Mark Personius said: "This is a horrific crime and Thames Valley Police is conducting a thorough investigation to identify the offenders.

"We are supporting the victim with specifically trained officers at this extremely difficult time.

"I am making a public appeal to a specific witness, a woman, who we believe may have tried to help the victim. At this stage we don't have a description of this Good Samaritan.

"However, if you believe you are the woman, please contact the police as you may have vital information that can help us piece together what happened.

"The town centre would have been busy on a Saturday night into the early hours of a Sunday morning. Therefore, I would also appeal to anyone else who saw or heard anything in the area between about 12am and 2.30am this morning to come forward.

"Please check any CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage you have from the area and if you have captured anything that you think may help us, please get in touch."

The force say that they will be conducting house to house enquires and scouring CCTV in the surrounding areas as they continue their investigations into the incident.

DS Personius added: "You can contact the force by speaking to an officer at the scene, calling 101 or via a dedicated webpage for this investigation, where you can leave any footage from the area. The investigation reference number is 43250495078.

"There is a scenewatch in place at the church to enable us to carry our forensic examinations. We will also be conducting house to house and CCTV enquiries.

"I would like to thank local residents and businesses for their ongoing support while we are in the area carrying out our investigation."