Appeal for information following reported male rape in Liverpool city centre

can confirm that an investigation is underway following a reported rape in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of this morning, Saturday 13 January.

At around 4.30am, we received a report that a man aged his 30s had been raped in St Johns Gardens by another male.

It was also reported that the victim had a piece of jewellery taken from him during the incident before the suspect fled on foot towards Lime Street train station.

Emergency services attended the scene and a police cordon is currently in place while we investigate the incident.

Chief Inspector Dave Currie said: “We are in the very early stages of investigating this incident and officers remain in the area to carry out initial enquiries.

“I understand incidents of this nature will cause concern, but please be reassured that we take all reports of rape and sexual assault extremely seriously and we are determined to find the person responsible.

“If you have any information about this incident, or you were driving past the area at the time and have dashcam footage showing anything suspicious, please get in touch as a matter of urgency.”

Chief Inspector Currie added: “Rape is an unimaginably awful crime that we hope no one has to go through, but if you or someone you know has experienced rape or sexual assault, please have the confidence to speak to us and report it. We will listen carefully and do everything we can to bring such offenders to justice.

“Our specialist Unity Team is committed to investigating any reports of a sexual offence and supporting victims through the whole investigative process so that we can prevent any further crimes of this awful nature from happening.”

If you have any information on the incident, please contact Merseyside Police via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre. You can also call 101 quoting log number 120 of 13th January, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. 

Anyone who wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by a specially trained officer.

If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.

These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.

If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation and court processes.

You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.

With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.

Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.

If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here: 
https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/

Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside.

Alternatively, you can report a sexual offence by calling 101 or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.