A woman has been raped by a group of men in a churchyard in Oxfordshire, police have said.
The woman, in her 30s, was raped outside St Mary’s Church in Banbury and the surrounding area of the town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to Thames Valley Police.
Authorities have appealed for a woman who tried to stop the “horrific crime” to come forward.
The police continue to look for witnesses or anyone who has information relating to the incident.
It is understood they will be conducting house to house and CCTV enquiries in order to find the perpetrators.
Police have released very few details of the men involved, but Detective Sergeant Mark Personius said: “This is a horrific crime and Thames Valley Police is conducting a thorough investigation to identify the offenders.
“We are supporting the victim with specifically trained officers at this extremely difficult time.
“I am making a public appeal to a specific witness, a woman, who we believe may have tried to help the victim.”
The incident is believed to have happened between 12am and 2.30am on Sunday morning
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He added: “At this stage we don’t have a description of this Good Samaritan. However, if you believe you are the woman, please contact the police as you may have vital information that can help us piece together what happened.
“The town centre would have been busy on a Saturday night into the early hours of a Sunday morning.
“Therefore, I would also appeal to anyone else who saw or heard anything in the area between about 12am and 2.30am [Sunday] morning to come forward.
“Please check any CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage you have from the area and if you have captured anything that you think may help us, please get in touch.”
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He continued: “You can contact the force by speaking to an officer at the scene, calling 101 or via a dedicated webpage for this investigation, where you can leave any footage from the area.
“The investigation reference number is 43250495078.
“There is a scenewatch in place at the church to enable us to carry out forensic examinations.
“We will also be conducting house to house and CCTV enquiries.
“I would like to thank local residents and businesses for their ongoing support while we are in the area carrying out our investigation.”
St Mary’s Church said in a statement: “Due to an incident in the churchyard last night, we currently have no access to church.
“It is with deep regret that we are therefore having to cancel [Sunday’s] parish Eucharist.
“Please pray for those affected by whatever happened last night.”