Police are hunting a man who attempted to rape a 20-year-old woman as she walked home in Patricroft last night.
The woman was crossing the bridge over the canal towpath onto Green Lane when she saw a man standing by the bridge steps.
As she walked by he followed her before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her to the ground. He then attempted to remove some clothing but she managed to fight him off. She then ran to nearby flats where she raised the alarm.
Her attacker was a white man and was wearing dark clothing, including a dark hoodie and dark tracksuit bottoms.
The woman wasn’t physically injured but he was left deeply upset by what happened and is now being supported by specially trained officers.
Detective Inspector Carl Gilbert, based at Swinton, said: “Thankfully this young woman had the presence of mind and determination to fight this man off. If she hadn’t, this incident could have been even more serious.
“We have launched an investigation and as part of that I now want to appeal to anyone who was in the Green Lane area of Patricroft last night who may have seen or heard anything out of the ordinary.
“Did you see a man in dark clothing running away or loitering around this time? Also, I want to reassure people living nearby that we’re doing everything we can to catch the offender and would encourage anyone with information to contact police in Swinton on 0161 8568361 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
