Woman attacked by home intruder in middle of night

The attack happened in Durham

A woman was attacked by an intruder who entered her home in the middle of the night.

Police said a man got into the woman's bedroom in Durham on 13 April, at 02:25 BST.

The woman, who was alone, was able to fight the attacker off and escape to a neighbour's house.

Durham Police is appealing for witnesses.

The suspect is described as male, white, aged between 25 and 35, and about 5ft 4in (1.6m) tall.

He was wearing a black, long-sleeved puffer jacket, balaclava, black trousers and dark shoes during the attack on Atherton Street, police said, and entered through an unlocked front door.

Det Ch Insp Chris Smiles said the woman was physically unharmed during the attack but was left "extremely distressed".

“We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the incident and would like to speak to anyone who may have any information that could assist us,” he said.

He added the force was treating the attack as an "isolated" incident.

The police had arrested a 48-year-old man in connection with the attack, but after being interviewed by officers, he is no longer under suspicion and was released with no further action.