Police hunt man with muddy shoes after Basildon rape
Police hunting a man who raped a woman after a night out say he would have returned home with muddy shoes.
The attack happened in Basildon as the 18-year-old walked towards Gyllgrove through the underpass on Cranes Farm Road after 02:00 BST on Monday.
She was grabbed by a man and dragged up a bank where he sexually assaulted her, Essex Police said.
Officers say his parents, girlfriend or housemates may have spotted the mud on his shoes.
"This woman had been returning home following a night out at the nearby Festival Leisure Park," DCI Simon Werrett said.
"As a result of the recent weather and the location of the attack, this man would have returned home with mud on his shoes.
"He could live with his parents, girlfriend or housemates so we would appeal to them to contact us if they recall him returning home just before the break of the dawn on Monday with muddy shoes.
"We are now looking through CCTV in a bid to ascertain whether the man has been captured on camera."
The attacker is described as white, 5ft 6in tall, in his early 20s and wearing jeans and a smart, dark grey coat.