Young mother raped in own home

A young mother was raped inside her own home by a man who followed her there in broad daylight, police said today.

The attacker, in his 20s, followed the victim to the property in the Millbrook area of Southampton. As she opened her door he sneaked up behind her, threatened her and raped her.

The crime took place on February 2, but was only recently reported to police, who have refused to give the woman's age.

The victim has been left "traumatised" by the lunchtime attack and has been questioned by specially trained officers.

More than 25 police officers are working on the investigation and extra patrols are in the area.

Detective Inspector Gary Towse from Hampshire police said: "We want to catch this man as soon as possible.

"It is now a week since this happened and there does not appear to have been any more attacks.

"However, people can be assured we are working hard to find him and there will be extra officers patrolling the area to offer public reassurance.

"We want people to be alert because of this incident but not alarmed - such attacks are very unusual.

"If anyone was in the Windermere Avenue/Wimpson Lane area on February 2 at about 1pm and thinks they saw anything suspicious or a woman being followed, then it's essential they get in contact with us as soon as possible.

"We'd also like to hear from anyone else who feels they may have been followed or approached by someone they are suspicious of but haven't yet reported it to police.

"The victim has, not surprisingly, been left very traumatised."