Parents of 18-year-old raped in alleyway appeal for help

Published on Thursday 23 July 2009 22:02

THE devastated parents of a teenager who was raped after being dragged into an alley have called for help in catching her attacker.

The 18-year-old woman was attacked as she walked home in East Lothian in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

In a joint statement, her parents said: "We are struggling to come to terms with what has happened to our daughter. We are totally devastated, and so are our family and friends.

"As to why anyone should want to inflict such pain upon a fellow human is hard for us all to comprehend, and we are anxious that the person who did this is caught. We are appealing for people to come forward with any information they might have that can help police find the man who attacked our daughter."

Police have also appealed for information about the attack, which took place in a vennel next to the Blenheim House Hotel in North Berwick.

The victim had seen her attacker standing with another man outside the Quarterdeck pub in the High Street. She crossed the street but he followed her and pushed her against a wall in front of the hotel, before dragging her into the lane. Her ordeal ended when a member of the public went to her aid.

Police want to speak to two middle-aged women seen in the area at the time.