Senior detective makes personal appeal

This e-fit will be sent to thousands of homes

A senior detective is sending a personal letter to 4,000 addresses in Suffolk in a fresh attempt to catch a rapist.

Residents in Ipswich will receive the personal plea for help from Detective Superintendent Roy Lambert.

The envelope containing the letter will also carry a photo-fit image of the man suspected of raping a 19-year-old woman near Ipswich railway station on 28 July.

A police spokesman said it was the first time Suffolk police had made such an appeal.

He added: "We're hoping that by sending this personal letter to all the addresses in the vicinity of the attack, it may jog someone's memory and provide vital information."

DNA samples

The victim was walking from the Kartouche nightclub in Ipswich to the station when a man approached her.

She had left the nightclub just after midnight after arguing with friends.

The man offered to walk with her to a place where her boyfriend could collect her.

But instead he took her to a secluded area and attacked her.

The man is described as white, about 5ft 8in to 5ft 9in tall, of plump build with short spiky brown hair.

He was wearing a blue shirt and was clean-shaven.

Police say they have DNA samples, which will allow them to rule out some suspects.

About 100 people have already been DNA tested and eliminated by officers investigating the rape.

In his letter, Detective Superintendent Lambert urges anyone with any suspicions at all to come forward and give the police names.