Renewed appeal five years on - sexual assault - Balerno, Edinburgh

Police in Edinburgh are renewing an appeal for information five years on from a rape in the Balerno area of the city.

Around 12.30am on Thursday, 27 August, 2015, a 19-year-old woman was walking on Newmills Road when she was approached from behind, taken into a nearby field and subjected to a serious sexual assault.

The cases remains under ongoing review and investigation by detectives from Edinburgh CID who are renewing their appeal for witnesses on the fifth anniversary of the attack.

They remain keen to identify a man described as white, around 6ft tall and of slim build, possibly with shoulder length hair. At the time of the attack he was wearing clothing similar to a grey hooded top and dark jeans. He may have spoken with an Edinburgh or an English accent.

Detective Inspector Jon Pleasance said: "This was a horrifying incident which has had a huge lasting effect on the life of the young victim and her family.

"We remain entirely committed to bringing the offender to justice and are again appealing to the public for any assistance they can offer to aid to our investigation.

"Allegiances change over time. Did you have concerns or suspicions about the behaviour of a partner, loved one or friend at the time but were unwilling to share this with police at the time? Please come forward and help us now.

"I would also urge people in the local community to think back and let us know if you have any information which could be of use to our investigation.

"Even if your information seems small or insignificant I would ask you to come forward and let us make that assessment.

"Please call police on 101, quoting incident 0080 of 27/08/2015, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."