Man charged after report of rape in Sunderland

Police who are investigating the reported rape of a woman in Sunderland have now charged a man.

On Sunday (February 12), a woman contacted Northumbria Police officers to report that she had been raped by a driver who picked her up from a Sunderland night club in the early hours of the morning.

It was reported that the driver picked the woman up from the 7even night club on Derwent Street in Sunderland at around 5.30am, before driving to the Hendon Beach area and raping her.

Northumbria Police detectives from immediately launched an investigation into the report of rape and appealed for witnesses who were in the area at the time to come forward with information.

A 46-year-old man has now been arrested on suspicion of rape. The man has now been charged and is due to appear at South Tyneside Court today (February 14).

Detective Chief Inspector Shelley Hudson, of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding department, said: “It was very brave of the woman to come forward and we will continue to support her in every way we can.

“Yesterday, we appealed to the public for witnesses who were in the Derwent Street area at around 5.30am on Sunday morning.

“Any information, no matter how insignificant you fear it might be, could prove crucial in this case.”

DCI Shelley Hudson continued: “A man has now been charged with rape and I would ask that everyone continues to avoid any speculation – both out in the community and on social media – that could jeopardise the live legal proceedings.

“We know incidents of this nature can cause concern in our communities and we will be continuing to carry out extra patrols to offer reassurance.

“We are committed to doing all we can to support the victim while bringing the person responsible to justice.”

Anyone who has any information is asked to contact police via the Tell Us Something page of the Northumbria Police website or to contact 101 quoting reference NP-20230212-0554. People with information can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.