THE mystery surrounding a woman who has been offering sex to men walking their dogs along a footpath took a bizarre twist yesterday.

Police confirmed that it is possible that the person they are seeking - who has so far asked six men for sex in nearby bushes - could actually be male.

The bizarre case came to light at the weekend when a 29-year-old salesman spurned the advances of the woman, who approached him on a path off Water Lane, in York, and introduced herself as Jane.

The salesman, who did not wish to be named, said: "This person said she was a woman aged 30 and from Hull. But personally I think it was a bloke aged between 14 and 18."

The mystery seducer started to follow the man and made increasingly obscene sexual comments.

The victim added: "I saw a neighbour of mine so I made a beeline for them and said, 'Just stay away from me, you're a bloke'. Then he grabbed my crotch. I said, 'Get away from me', and I just walked off."

Sergeant Colin Ventress, of York Police, said most of the men who had come forward claimed they were accosted by a female - but added that he would not rule anything out.

He said: "It's not impossible, but she has been described as a woman. She's putting herself at enormous risk doing this."

The person is described as having mousy brown hair, cut in a bowl style, with a spotty complexion.

She - or he - was wearing glasses and a blue-and-white tracksuit.