Police have confirmed that a sexual assault in Oldbury is being treated as a racially aggravated hate crime.
The incident happened at around 8.30am on Monday, 9 September, when a Sikh woman in her 20s reported being raped by two white men near Tame Road. She told officers that one of the attackers made a racist remark, telling her she “didn’t belong in this country,” before the assault.
Officers cordoned off an area of land off Tame Road, close to Hurst Green in Halesowen and near the M5 motorway, as part of their investigation.
On Thursday, West Midlands Police confirmed that the attack is being investigated as racially motivated.
Detectives are appealing for information about the two men. The first is described as white, with a shaved head, heavy build, and wearing a dark sweatshirt with gloves. The second man was also white and wearing a grey top with a silver zip.
Chief Superintendent Kim Madill of Sandwell Police said: “We are working really hard to identify those responsible, with CCTV, forensic and other enquiries well under way. We fully understand the anger and worry that this has caused, and I am speaking to people in the community today to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to identify and arrest those responsible. Incidents like this are incredibly rare, but people can expect to see extra patrols in the area.”
Police said the attack is being treated as an isolated incident. Anyone with information has been urged to call 101 quoting log 798 of 9 September.