Footage from a Morecambe bar’s CCTV cameras on Boxing Day could be the key to catching a man suspected of carrying out a New Year’s Day sex attack.
Police discovered the CCTV clip while investigating the rape of a woman who met her attacker in the town’s Coast bar as the New Year festivities were winding down.
The man, who was wearing pirate fancy dress, raped the woman after walking her home.
The new image – captured in the same bar in the early hours of Boxing Day 2009 – was revealed on a recent edition of the BBC’s Crimewatch programme. Police now hope that the clearer picture will lead to more calls from the public.
“We’ve been following up about a dozen lines of inquiry as a result of our appeal on Crimewatch,” revealed Detective Inspector Jo Dent from Morecambe CID, “but we still need more information.
“The footage from Coast on Boxing Day shows a man who bears a striking resemblance to our suspect for the New Year’s Day attack. We would urgently like to speak to the man shown in the footage in order to eliminate him from our inquiries.”
Officers will also be visiting guest houses in the Morecambe area to try and establish whether the suspect was a visitor to the town over the festive period, rather than a resident.
“We are keeping our minds open about where this man is from and where he was living at the time of the attack,” added DI Dent. “If someone remembers him staying with them, being a customer in their shop or bar – or even seeing him stood at a bus stop – we want to hear from them.”
• Click on the smaller images for larger size of the footage.
• Anyone with information should contact police on 01254 63333 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111