THE burglar who broke into a flat and threatened to rape and kill the female occupant is believed to be a local man.
Detective Sergeant Glyn Leach, who is leading the enquiry, told the Chronicle this week the offence bore all the hallmarks of someone who knows the area well.
'Certain aspects of the incident lead us to believe he is a local man, and if that is the case then someone out there knows who it is,' he said.
Appeals for information have so far yielded very few clues and because of the serious nature of the incident police are keen to apprehend the culprit as soon as possible.
The intruder climbed through an open window at the flat in Chapel Court, off London Road, forced the woman into the bedroom where he tied her up on the bed and repeatedly threatened to rape and kill her while holding a knife to her face.
The woman, who is 58, suffered minor injuries to her wrists and ankles and a small knife wound to her cheek. She was severely traumatised by the hour-long ordeal and is receiving counselling to help her cope.
'She was put through an horrendous ordeal,' said DS Leach.
'The attack was totally unprovoked and the victim has been left extremely traumatised.'
The intruder eventually left the flat with a small number of items and is believed to have headed on foot in the general direction of Vickersway Park.
Anyone with information is asked to ring DS Leach on 01244 613231 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
