Amanda Quiney, a mother-of-four, has spoken of her terror that the man who raped her at Priory Woods in Sandwell Valley Country Park remains unidentified, telling BBC's Crimewatch Live that she fears it could "happen again to somebody else."
Attack at a 'safe place'
Quiney was violently attacked on June 29 this year after going to the West Bromwich beauty spot for "a bit of time out" following the morning school run. She described the location as her "safe place," where she would go to "enjoy the nature and quietness."
As she returned to her car, she was hit from behind and knocked unconscious. Speaking about the ordeal, she said: "When I woke up, I wasn't in the same place that I knew I'd fell. The pain on the back of the head... I realised then that my head was bleeding. My underwear, my leggings, were down to my ankles, and the left part of my top was all ripped around my neck."
She continued: "Everything after didn't feel real. What I think has happened... that can't be right? It wasn't until I actually pulled myself together that I realised something serious had happened. I had been raped."
Physical and emotional aftermath
Quiney described the injuries she sustained: "As the days went on, bruising around both eyes started to come out, there was a cut above my eyelid, I had grazing on my arms, a lump on the top of my head, and as the days went on, the bruising on my legs started coming out as well."
She added: "The struggle of trying to get out of bed, was just something I can't even explain. I didn't have the chance to process and allow myself to realise what had happened. How am I supposed to find the justice when I can't even give a description? There was nobody...I don't understand where this person would have come from."
Quiney said the "hardest part" was everything being "so unknown," adding: "How can you process something that you can't remember? I need the answers."
Police timeline and investigation
Detective Inspector Phil Griffiths from West Midlands Police appeared on the show and shared timings with host Rav Wilding. He said: "We know she arrived at the car park at around 9.08am and walked across the footbridge into the Priory Woods area of Sandwell Valley. She was in there for a short period of time, and she sent a photo message to a friend at around 10.20am. She then started returning towards her car, and she was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious. When she came round, she walked backed onto the footpath, and that's when she was found by witnesses who then called us."
Quiney described her route: she parked in her usual spot at Forge Mill, near the entrance to the nature reserve, walked across the motorway bridge, and down a path. She said: "As you get towards the bottom, just before it bends, on the right hand side there's a dirt path. I walked up there, through a little bit of greenery and follow it round the lake and as you come up, there's a little bench, just on the left hand side." She was there for around 30 minutes, noting: "All the times I've been up there, you see people going to work, people taking a walk with children, but this Monday, it was silent."
Det Insp Griffiths said the attacker remains unidentified: "Unfortunately, because Amanda was struck from behind and knocked unconscious, she didn't see her attacker, so we weren't able to get a description from her. We have conducted CCTV enquiries in the area, we know she wasn't followed in, so the movements of her attacker, both before and after, remain unknown. We've spoken with a number of witnesses, who have helped with our enquiries, but we've been unable to identify who did this."
Forensic testing and national checks
Police have submitted a number of samples for forensic testing and obtained a DNA profile from Quiney, but Det Insp Griffiths said: "Unfortunately it is not of a good enough quality to submit under the national DNA database. But when we identify suspects, we will be able to make direct comparisons to that sample, to rule them in or out of the investigation."
When asked if the attack was being linked to other investigations, he said: "We've liaised with national agencies who record the statistics around these type of offences and we haven't identified a link to any other investigations, either open or closed, nationally, or locally."
Witness appeal
Police have urged anyone who may have been in the area that day to come forward if they haven't already spoken to officers. Det Insp Griffiths said: "If they feel they saw something suspicious, then they should get in touch with us."
Information can be passed on by using the live chat facility at www.west-midlands.police.uk, or by calling 101, quoting 20/304639/26.
