Police appeal for photos of Royal Show event in hunt for rapist

Published on Thursday 2 July 2009 21:51

THE mother of a teenage girl raped at the Royal Highland Show yesterday made an appeal to catch the attacker before he strikes again.

The 17-year-old, from north-east Scotland, was assaulted during an evening event at the annual show in Ingliston, Edinburgh.

In a bid to identify the rapist, detectives have asked guests at the Young Farmers' Ball on Friday to send in any photographs they took at the gathering.

In a statement yesterday, the victim's mother said: "We are determined to help the police catch the person who did this to my daughter, because if he isn't caught he could do it again.

"I am appealing for anyone who has information about what happened to come forward, and I would urge anyone who was at the ball and took photographs of the event to e-mail them to the police.

"I would also appeal to the person who carried out this crime against my daughter to hand himself in to police at the earliest opportunity.

"We are all devastated, but we are strong, and we are pulling together as a family to support each other."

The teenager, from the Grampian area, was assaulted near portable toilets between the east caravan park and the marquee where the ball was taking place. The attack happened between 12:30 and 1am on Saturday morning.

The suspect is described as white, in his mid to late twenties, and of stocky build. He was unshaven, with short brown hair and wore jeans and a dark blue rugby-style shirt with yellow letters on the back.