A 39-year-old woman has been left terrified after waking up to find a semi-naked man in her Colne bedroom.
Police are appealing for information following the indecent exposure in Judge Fields.
The victim, who had children in her home, shouted out after being woken at 6-15am. The offender then ran out of the house, and across gardens onto Ruskin Avenue.
He is described as white, around 19 years of age, of medium build, approximately 5ft. 7in. in height, with mousey brown short hair and a broad forehead. He had wide eyes and was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and dark coloured shoes/trainers with a white sole.
Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they want to trace.
Det. Sgt Alisa Wilson, of East CID, said: “I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at that time who may have seen this young man to come forward.
“Enquiries have established that despite the early hour of the morning, there were other people, cars and taxis in the area at that time.
“I am also appealing for local residents to come forward who may recognise the young man in the CCTV footage or recognise the description of the person responsible.
“I believe the young man has been on a night out in Colne and then visited the McDonalds in Colne at approximately 5-10am and spoke to a group of three people sitting outside. I am keen for this group of people to make contact.
“This has been a terrifying incident for the victim, who had children in the house at the time. Fortunately this type of incident is rare and at this stage, I do not know why the young man was in the victim’s house.
“A team of detectives are working to establish both the identity of the young man responsible and his motive for entering the victim’s house. In the summer months it is tempting to leave doors and windows open but I would always advise people to keep their property secure, lock doors and shut ground floor windows.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting log reference LC-20140712-0561.
