Download police appeal for help in sexual assault case

Leicestershire Police have launched a public appeal after a woman was sexually assaulted at last weekend’s Download festival in the UK.

The incident is said to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday, June 11, at some point between 12.45am and 3.30am in a grassed area at the top of Car Park C, which is the car park on the steep slope at the site.

Police have released detailed descriptions of the assailant and the people he was with earlier in the evening and are asking festival goers for their help.

A statement on the police’s Facebook page reads: “The woman had spent the Saturday evening with a group of five people, three men and two women, who she had met that evening whilst in the main arena.

“She said that one of the men offered to walk her back to her tent in the early hours and it was shortly thereafter that the assault is reported to have taken place.

“The suspect is described as white with quite pale skin, dark eyes, dark swept back hair with a beard described as being like overgrown stubble. The woman believes him to be in mid to late 20s and is said to speak with a Newcastle or Middlesbrough accent – described as a Geordie accent.

“At the time of the incident he was wearing what is described as a khaki green/grey cap, dark brown or black shorts with a chequered red tartan shirt with long sleeves with a black t-shirt underneath. He had a ring on one finger and was wearing a wrist band from a previous year.”

His four friends are described as:

White woman in her late teens to early 20, 5ft 8ins tall and very thin. She had ‘bleach blonde’ almost white, hair with very dark roots and a tattoo on her forearm and a second tattoo of a humming bird on the inside of her upper arm.
White woman, really pale, in her early 20s, 5f 5ins tall and described as a of ‘chunky’ build. She had very long black wavy hair with a nose ring in her nasal septum, which looked like half a flower. She had a soft Scottish accent.
White male, mid to late 20 and about 5f 10ins tall. He is described as muscly but slim – athletic build – with no facial hair. He had dark hair and either blue or green eyes. He was wearing light blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a Stone Roses bucket hat which is splattered with colours and has a lemon on the front. He wore a white rosary bead necklace.
White male, early 30s, 5f 10in tall, and of slim build. He was clean shaven with blondish shortish hair. He was not wearing a top and had a tattoo on his chest of either a lion or a bear.

Leicestershire Police add: “We would like to hear from you if you recognise yourself in any of these descriptions, if you know the identities of any of these individuals or if you saw them during the festival or in the arena after the main act on Saturday night.”

If you think you can help, please call Leicestershire Police on 101 and quote incident 433 of 11 June 2017.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.