Detectives are releasing an efit of the muddy-shoed man who raped a woman in Basildon.
The attack happened when an 18-year-old local woman was walking towards Gyllgrove through the underpass on Cranes Farm Road between 2-4am on Monday, 14 May.
She was approached by a man who grabbed her and dragged her up the bank where he sexually assaulted her.
Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Simon Werrett, said: "This woman had been returning home following a night out at the nearby Festival Leisure Park. As a result of the weather and the location of the attack, this man would have returned home with mud on his shoes.
“He could live with his parents, girlfriend or housemates so we would appeal to them to contact us if they recall him returning home just before the break of the dawn on that Monday with muddy shoes.
“We have had a tremendous amount of support from the Basildon community so far, but we need them to go just that extra bit further and help us identify this man. The image is clear so we’re confident he is known to either a relative, friend or even partner.”
The assailant is described as white, approximately 5ft 6ins tall, in his early 20s and was wearing jeans and a smart, dark-grey coat.
Anyone with information in connection with this rape investigation is urged to contact detectives at Rayleigh’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team on 101.