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CATCH THE DA VINCI CHAPEL RAPIST
Beast hunted after girl,19, left for dead. Cops hunt dangerman...
A young woman was raped and left for dead just yards from the Da Vinci Code chapel.
The 19-year-old was attacked in broad daylight near Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, made famous by Dan Brown's best-selling novel.
She was found barely conscious at the bottom of a glen. The victim had been repeatedly punched on the face and she was so badly hurt she could hardly speak.
Yesterday, officers searching for the rapist were questioning staff and visitors to the historic chapel, which has attracted tourists from all over the world since it featured in The Da Vinci Code.
A senior officer said: 'This attack was absolutely brutal and extremely high risk because the area is so widely visited.
'On the day of the attack, the fine weather had brought hundreds of people to the chapel and the glen, which are both very popular places'. Given the violent force of this man, he is clearly dangerous and needs to be caught before he strikes again.'
The woman, who works in a shop in Edinburgh, was attacked around tea-time on Sunday, shortly after she had visited local tourist attractions, including the chapel.
She was walking along the B7003 to a friend's house in the nearby village of Rosewell when a man walking in the opposite direction suddenly grabbed her and threw her down the 40ft embankment .
As she lay dazed at the bottom of the hill, he launched a 'brutal and prolonged attack'.
The Dutch girl, who moved to Scotland from Holland in October, was discovered shortly after 6pm when a passer-by heard her moans.
She was drifting in and out of consciousness when she was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
A hospital spokesman yesterday described her condition as stable.
Police said the rapist pounced beside the steep, twisting road that winds down from the village of Rosslyn to Rosewell. The embankments are heavily wooded and undergrowth shields the bottom from the road.
Detective Superintendent Andy Waddell said: 'Although this is a rural area and the attack site is hidden from the road, it is not a deserted location.
'It is extremely popular with dog- walkers, cyclists and hikers, as well as people visiting the wildlife reserve.
'The attack happened around tea-time and I would expect the road will have been busy with people going to and from their homes after a day out. Lothian and Borders Police forensic teams yesterday sealed off parts of the glen as they scoured for evidence.
Police believe the rapist may have parked at one of two lay-bys on the road.
DS Waddell said: 'It is possible that the attacker could have had a car parked nearby. As it is such a busy road, we hope that someone will have seen and remember him.'
The attacker was described as being in his thirties, around 5ft 9in tall, with cropped brown hair with a fringe.
He was wearing a light-coloured T-shirt tucked into blue jeans and distinctive yellow rigger-style boots.
Rosslyn Chapel's popularity has soared since the phenomenal success of Dan Brown's book, which bases part of its plot around the 560-year-old chapel. Scenes from a movie of the novel, starring Tom Hanks, are expected to be shot at the site
By Marie Sharp And Ian Dow The Record 17th May 2005
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