A woman has come forward to report a shocking encounter with a man in Wellington following a report of a town centre sex attack.
The woman, who is in her 80s, was walking towards the town centre when a man stopped his car and asked her for sex.
The woman says she was shocked by the encounter and shrugged it off, but after hearing about the sexual assault decided to report what happened to her.
Police have been given the information and have renewed their appeal for witnesses to the attack in Fore Street on Sunday, February 26.
It is unclear whether there is a link between the incidents, but details of the car have been passed to detectives.
The woman came forward after the police released a photograph of a man they want to talk to in connection with the Fore Street incident.
Recalling her encounter with the man in the car, the woman said at first she couldn’t hear what he was saying, so walked over and asked if he wanted help.
He then spoke to her again but she couldn’t make out what he said, and asked, “What do you want?”
She says the man then replied, “Sex”, and she responded, “You must be joking,” and walked off.
She came forward after reading about the Fore Street incident in the Wellington Weekly News.
We are protecting the identity of the woman, and have supported her in reporting what happened to the police.
The woman said her encounter with the man happened some days before the sexual assault in Fore Street, reported to have taken place on Sunday, February 26.
Police said the attack happened when a woman was walking in Fore Street at around 1.30am on Sunday.
A man has also come forward to the Wellington Weekly News to report a sighting of the man in the photograph.
The man claimed he saw the person walking out of the town centre Co-op on Monday evening and has reported it to the police.
He said: “He saw I looked at him, and he looked back at me. I looked at him quite intensely, I got a good look at him.”
A police spokesperson said: “Investigations are still ongoing into the incident in which a woman was sexually assaulted at around 1.30am on Sunday 26 February.
“We have had some positive lines of enquiry following our appeal, but we are still seeking information from the public to help us identify the man.
“If you have any information, please call 101 and quote reference 5223046399.”
A spokesperson said they would like to speak to the man in the picture, who was white and wearing a dark coat with padding in the sleeves.
They said after the attack: "The incident happened at around 1.30am. The victim had been walking along Fore Street when she was attacked.
"We are making sure the victim has access to any support services she requires following the incident.
"If anyone recognises him, or saw anything suspicious, please call us.
"If you can help, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5223046399, or complete our online appeals form.
"You can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their Anonymous Online Form.
"No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court or have to speak to police when contacting Crimestoppers."