DETECTIVES have appealed for information following the rape of a girl in the grounds of a North-East church.

The teenager was walking along Park Lane in Shiremoor, North Tyneside, when she was approached by a male at 8pm on Monday, October 13.

The girl was dragged towards St Mark's Church on Brenkley Avenue and raped in the grounds. The incident was subsequently reported to police on Friday, October 17.

Detective Sergeant Donna Rose said: "This was an extremely traumatic experience for this young girl.

"We have specially trained officers who are working with her, offering support to her and her family at this difficult time.

"Reports of this nature of obviously concerning and we're doing everything possible to establish exactly what happened.

“We also know that these incidents can be concerning to the local community, there are extra patrols in the area.

"We're appealing for witnesses, anyone who was in this area at the relevant time and may have seen or heard anything suspicious, is asked to contact officers."

Inspector Adrian Tallantyre, North Tyneside area command said: "We have additional uniform officers on patrol in the area, anyone with any concerns is asked to speak to an officer."

The suspect is described as being in his early teens.

Anyone with information should contact Northumbria Police on 101, ext 69191 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.