Amanda Quiney, a 28-year-old mother of four, has waived her right to anonymity to reveal the full details of a horrific rape at Sandwell Valley Country Park, in a desperate bid to catch the perpetrator. The attack happened in broad daylight on Monday, June 29, as she walked along a quiet path at the popular beauty spot.
Ms Quiney was struck from behind, blacked out, and woke in bushes to find her leggings and pants down, one shoe missing, her t-shirt ripped, and blood pouring from a head wound. Police believe she was raped. She has chosen to tell her story exclusively to BirminghamLive in the hope it will unearth a vital clue or shame someone into coming forward.
Attack details emerge
Amanda spoke exclusively to BirminghamLive's Jane Haynes about the shocking events of June 29. She parked at the car park close to Forge Mill Farm and nature reserve around 9-9.15am, after dropping her children at school. She headed along well-worn paths to a favourite bench close to one of the lakes to take a pause from her hectic life, read a book, and listen to music.
"It is one of my favourite places, somewhere I go to calm my mental health. I remember it seemed unusually quiet, but I've always seen it as a safe place to go, somewhere calm and peaceful," she said. "I sat there for maybe about 30 minutes. It was the quietest day I can remember up there. Then I walked back the same way I always do towards my car. I had my headphones in."
"It was just my music, my book - The Wrong Sister - was in my hand, my bag was on me…I was walking back to the car, ready to go home, I was okay, then there was just this force to the back of my head and that's as far as I remember until I woke up."
Waking in bushes
When Amanda came to, she was in bushes off the path. "I had no shoe on. I had my underwear and my leggings down to my ankles, I had no book, I had no phone, I had no handbag," she said. "My t-shirt was all ripped on the collar, my head was hurting and when I touched it it was pouring out with blood, and at this point I don't know what's happened."
She flagged down a man walking nearby. "I went up to him and said 'I've been attacked' and burst into tears," she recalled. "I said to him 'I don't know where my car keys are, I don't know where my bag is, where my phone is, my head's bleeding, I don't know what's happened'. I took him to where it happened and he found my phone in the grass, my book and he was just looking around…I had no answers."
A woman walking her dog joined them and called the police. An ambulance was also called. Within minutes, police were on the scene and locked down the area. Among evidence found at the scene, said Amanda, was a condom. "The whole of this time, in my head I was thinking it can't be, it can't be true, this can't be real, there must be some other weird explanation about what's happened. The second I saw that (the condom) I was like, I need to go. This is real."
Ongoing investigation
Over the rest of the day, Amanda was taken by ambulance to Midland Metropolitan Hospital and underwent a full examination and tests at a specialist Sexual Attack Referral Centre, finally getting home after midnight. The day after, she gave her statement to police. "For two full days it was non stop, I couldn't process anything...I felt trapped in this nightmare that was never ending," she said.
West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes, whose constituency includes the park, was leading a 'reclaim the valley' walk that will take in the spot where Amanda was attacked. Describing the attack as 'shocking', she said: "It is essential that Sandwell's parks and green spaces feel safe for everyone, and especially for women and girls."
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: "Our enquiries are continuing as part of a rape investigation in Sandwell Valley Country Park. The attack happened to a woman in the Priory Woods area of the park on Monday, 29 June at around 10.15am. The woman remains at the heart of our investigation, and she is receiving support from specialist officers. We have reviewed CCTV footage from around the park and spoken to any potential witnesses. Officers have received forensic evidence and sought advice from specialist agencies to further our examinations. We are continuing to appeal for information."
Anyone who has not yet come forward is asked to call 101 quoting 20/304639/26.
