Drone footage could potentially hold key to solving rape case in Wigan

Manchester Police are appealing to drone users in the Wigan area to come forward if they inadvertently captured footage of a women being raped.

On Sunday (18 February), a women was stalked by two men at Amberswood Nature Reserve at around 2pm. She was eventually confronted by two more men while walking and she was then raped in broad daylight.

Rick Thompson, the detective inspector of Wigan CID, told the Manchester Evening News that police are also searching for a person wearing a white coat and two people walking a dog.

"We're following a number of lines of inquiry but we need anyone who may have heard or seen something out of the ordinary to get in touch with us as soon as possible."

"I appreciate this is a remote area of land but it is a place where a lot of people go for a walk or take their dogs and we know that there were people in the park at the time."

"We are particularly interested in speaking to a member of the public who was believed to be flying a drone around the time of the incident and may have inadvertently captured some footage that could help us."

Greater Manchester Police said they have increased security at the nature reserve, which is a popular destination for runners.

Anyone with information should call the police on 0161 856 7225 or 101 and quote the reference number 1241 of 18/02/2018.