Detectives say officers are ‘working round the clock’Central Forest ParkDetectives investigating a report of rape at city beauty spot have warned ‘false online claims’ could cause ‘significant damage’ to the probe. It comes as Staffordshire Police has said there have been claims online accusing the force of ‘deliberately withholding information over the possible ethnicity of the suspect’ over the Central Forest Park attack investigation.Today officers have said such claims are ‘completely false’. Now detectives have said the ‘false online claims’ could hinder the investigation.Officers had been called to the beauty spot – which sits between Sneyd Green and Hanley – at 12pm on June 17 where a woman in her 20s reported that she’d been raped. Police say the full description of the suspect, as they currently know it, is, it’s a man, around 6ft 2in tall, and of stocky build. He was wearing dark clothing including a dark hoodie – and was masked.A spokesperson for the constabulary said: “We are continuing to progress our enquiries into a report of a rape at Central Forest Park. Over the weekend, we have seen lots of commentary on social media suggesting that further descriptions of the suspect have been given to us, including the possible ethnicity.”This is not true. From the outset of this investigation, we have included as much information as we know in order to help us progress our enquiries. Claims suggesting we are deliberately withholding information over the possible ethnicity of the suspect are completely false.”Senior officers have urged witnesses to come forward and say detectives are ‘working round the clock’. Superintendent David Kelsall said: “Officers are continuing to work around the clock to investigate this report and to support the victim.“False claims online are not helping and can cause significant damage to the integrity of our investigation. I’d like to reassure local communities that we will use every tactic at our disposal to identify those suspected of sexual offences, no matter who they are.“If you haven’t already spoken to officers and you have information that can help, I’d urge you to get in touch.”Anyone with information should call 101 and quote incident 325 of June 17.Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you – it’s FREEEnsure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search
Police plea over ‘false claims’ as Central Forest Park rape probe continues
