Man charged after sexual assault in Londonderry

An alleyway behind a row of houses behind a wooden fence
Image caption,

The woman was pulled into an alleyway by a male attacker

  • Published

A man has been charged following a report of a sexual assault in the Lecky Road area of Londonderry on Sunday.

The 32-year-old man is charged with sexual assault by penetration and grievous bodily harm.

He is due to appear before Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

The victim, a woman in her 50s, suffered serious facial injuries during the assault.

Police have said she was approached by an unknown man in the early hours of Sunday morning who pulled her into a nearby alleyway, where he sexually assaulted her, repeatedly hit her face, and banged her head off a wall.

The woman required hospital treatment for her injuries.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "She sustained serious facial and other injuries as a result of this terrifying ordeal that she was only able to escape from after her attacker let her go.

"The woman was able to then raise the alarm for help, and the suspect fled the scene on foot."

Police have asked anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident to contact them.