A CITY councillor said the Cowley community has come closer together after the ‘horrendous’ rape of a 15-year-old girl.

Police said the 15-year-old girl was raped in Barns Road, Cowley, while on her way to the bus stop before Blackbird Leys bridge on Sunday, September 20.

Oxford city councillor for Cowley David Henwood said: “The fact that a young woman like this would be attacked in broad daylight is not a reflection of society as a whole, but a minority in our society that do these horrendous crimes. This cannot happen again.

“Like any area in a city, there are hotspots. I’m not saying Barns Road is a hotspot, but we are aware of underpinning issues in the area and we are making every effort to overcome them, but it’s desperately sad news.

Police said the girl, who reported the rape on Tuesday, was approached by a man who walked alongside her. As they came to the bridge he grabbed her arm and pulled her down to a muddy track at the side of the bridge. He then raped her and walked away, leaving her on the track.

The man is described as white, aged in his late teens, 5ft 7ins or 5ft 8ins tall and slim. He had very short dark hair, blue eyes, freckles on his face and a short ginger beard, and was wearing a chain around his neck, black trainers and dark grey Nike jogging bottoms.

Investigating officer Det Insp Steve Raffield said: “What happened to this young girl is unimaginable and I am sure that members of the public will be shocked to hear about this incident, which happened in broad daylight.

“Incidents like this are extremely rare, but it is essential that we identify the offender as soon as possible.”