Banbury: Police say 'no evidence' that woman was gang-raped in St Mary's Church grounds
Police now say there is no evidence that a woman was raped in a churchyard by a gang of men.
As reported on Monday, there was a report that she was attacked in the early hours of Sunday by a group in what police called a “horrific crime”.
Officers had issued an appeal to find a woman who may have tried to help the victim, who is in her 30s. It was said to have happened in St Mary’s Church’s churchyard in Banbury and nearby in the town centre .
Investigating officer, Det Sgt Mark Personius said originally: “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 [on Sunday] 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.
“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.”
But in an update on Thursday afternoon, a police statement said: “A Thames Valley Police investigation into an alleged rape in Banbury last weekend has found no evidence the offence took place as reported.
“Therefore, we are not currently seeking anyone in relation to this investigation. The original report was made to us by a third party, who stated that a woman had been raped by a group of men in St Mary’s Church churchyard in the early hours of Sunday morning. We continue to support the woman involved.”