Police hope to speak to witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted by a man in an alley way.

The woman, in her 20s, was attacked while walking in an alley between Manor Farm Road and Athlon Road in Alperton on August 31 at 6.25pm.

The incident took place about halfway up the alley, where the white wall of Busy Bee Merchants meets a black fence, police said.

According to the Metropolitan Police, there was a female bystander who approached the woman after the attack and a man who stopped to assist who officers would like to speak to.

Neither of the witnesses were still on the scene when the police arrived.

An e-fit was also released to illustrate a man police are looking for, and Detective Constable Annabella Davies who is leading the investigation has asked for anyone who recognises him to contact police without delay.

DC Davies said: “This was an appalling attack on a young woman. We have been investigating the offence for a number of weeks and unfortunately we have not identified a suspect. We continue to investigate and are doing everything we can to secure justice for the victim-survivor.

“Please look at this image carefully. Could you have been in the location on Thursday 31 August? Do you live or work in the area and do you recognise this man?

“We are very interested to speak to the woman and man who helped the victim at the time of the incident. We believe you may hold some key information that could help this investigation and we urge you to get in touch. If you would rather contact us anonymously you can do so via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

“Please share any information or concerns you have with us as it could be the break in the case we are looking for.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting CAD 006481/31AUG23.