I was 13 when I was raped at knifepoint by a man as I walked to school - he still hasn't been caught

A 13-YEAR-old girl has relived the horrifying moment she was raped in a graveyard at knifepoint as she walked home from school.

The teen was walking through Retford Cemetery in Bassetlaw, Notts., at around 3.30pm when she was approached by a man with a knife.

She said the man pulled out the blade and told her "don't make any sound".

He then lead her into some undergrowth where he raped and left her on Thursday, December 12, 2019.

Three years later, the rapist has still not been caught - and cops are desperate for anyone with information to come forward.

In a fresh appeal, the teen told BBC's Crimewatch: "That day I walked home alone. I walked through Retford cemetery.

"There’s a canal that runs through it with a bridge. As I approached, I could see a man walking towards me.

"I went past the man then he walked up to me and pulled out a knife. He said 'don’t make any sound just come with me'."

She went on: "He walked me into some undergrowth then he raped me.

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"When it was over he told me to stay where I was for half an hour I asked him if anyone was going to hurt me or come get me he said stay here I need to get out of town he left."

The schoolgirl said the man walked off towards North Road.

She added that after five minutes "still sat on the ground I decided to get up and sort myself out".

"I was covered in mud I tried to wipe it off , off my face," she said.

"When I walked out of the cemetery it felt like everyone was staring at me."

The girl's mum explained her daughter would usually get a lift or walk home from school with friends, but that day she had walked home alone.

I went past the man then he walked up to me and pulled out a knife. He said 'don’t make any sound just come with me'.

And her daughter told how she has "tried to block out that day", adding she gets too emotional when she thinks about it.

Police have since released CCTV footage of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the investigation and are offering a £1,000 reward for anyone with information that can help.

The CCTV shows a man, walking along Leafield, close to the cemetery, around the time the victim was attacked.

Speaking about the footage on Crimewatch, Det Sgt Neill Allsop, of Nottingham Police, said: “What you see here is a white male walking towards the scene of this incident.

"We are very keen to speak to him. This person may well be a witness – he is not a suspect but we do want to speak to him."

URGENT APPEAL

He added police have collected DNA from the scene which will help point them to the offender while eliminating anyone from their enquiries.

Urging potential witnesses to come forward, he said: “Whilst we are confident no-one witnessed the actual offence take place, when this young lady left the cemetery she does describe walking past people and feeling like they were looking at her.

“We just ask if anybody saw anything on that day to come forward and speak to us.”

A £1,000 reward for information that helps catch the person responsible is being offered by the independent charity Crimestoppers.

Anyone who may have information is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police 101, quoting incident number 424 of December 13, 2019.

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Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Crimewatch Live is on BBC One, weekday mornings at 10am until Friday 25th March.

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