A rapist dragged a woman by the hair for more than 200 yards before assaulting her in a dark alleyway near Banbury town centre.
The attack happened in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The 30-year-old victim was near St Mary's Church, Horsefair, when she was grabbed by the man, described as black, in his late teens or early twenties, 5ft 7in to 5ft 10in tall, and of a muscular build. He was wearing dark jeans.
She was forced into an alleyway between North Bar and Bolton Road, where the assault took place. After the attack, the woman telephoned a friend and was taken to Banbury's Horton Hospital.
Det Sgt Mark Sinclair said: "We are still piecing together the chain of events. It was a terrifying experience for the woman.
"During the early hours there are people in the town centre and we are appealing for witnesses who saw anything suspicious in North Bar or who knows a man fitting the description who was out well after midnight.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article