Officers seek rape witnesses

These men walked past the victim as she sat talking to another man

Police in Greater Manchester have released photographs of four potential witnesses who saw a 34-year-old woman shortly before she was raped.

The victim had been out for a night out in Stockport on 18 July when she became separated from her friends in the Brannigans pub.

She was later picked up by a man who raped her in a car.

The woman had earlier left the bar just after 0000 BST on 19 July and was caught by CCTV cameras talking to a man outside the Royal Mail building.

The man, who was slim, wore dark trousers, a T-shirt with a white panel on the front and a baseball cap with a white badge on the front, is the first man officers hope to trace and was seen walking with the woman along the A6.

The man in the baseball cap (left) was seen talking to the woman

Three other men, who walked past the victim as she sat on the steps, were also shown on the CCTV footage.

Two of them wore light shirts and dark trousers, both were white and had light brown hair.

The third man was also white and had brown hair. He was dressed in a dark top and light trousers.

Detective Constable Val Hussein, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "The CCTV system has helped us identify where the victim went and at what time, but it cannot tell us who the man was who forced her to have sex with him in a car.

"That is where we believe at least one of these four men will be able to help us.

"If you were on a night out in Stockport on Friday, 18 July and in the early hours of Saturday morning saw a woman being attacked, followed or forced into a car, please get in touch.

"Or if you are one of these four men, please give us a call and let us know what you saw."