A JOGGER has appealed for help to find a group of teenage boys after she was sexually assaulted while running in Worcester.

The Worcester woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she felt violated after she was harassed by a group of four or five boys, with one of them groping her bottom, while jogging in Pitchcroft Racecourse.

Afterwards, when the woman reached the car park, she saw a group of boys waiting there and took a photo of them, which she has shared with the Worcester News in the hope of finding the teenagers, who she believes may have information relating to the incident.

She has reported the incident to police, who are now investigating and have increased patrols in the area.

She said the assault happened at around 3.50pm on Sunday July 14 on the footpath close to the car park near the Swan Theatre.

She said: “I had my earphones in, but I was aware that someone was following me. The next thing you know there was a hand on my bottom. I had tight running shorts on, so I was quite exposed.

“They were shouting at me, laughing and pointing their fingers at me. I felt violated. I just kept running. I was in autopilot mode.

“It was clearly designed to scare. It was upsetting and very creepy. I was humiliated. I felt dirty. It was awful and I’ve been so down about myself since.”

She said there were four or five teenage boys harassing her, believed to be between 13 and 16 years of age, and wearing hoodies.

The 46-year-old said the boys were cycling beside her for around a minute in total, while one of them performed wheelies in front of her as she was running.

She said: “It was warm, so the fact they were riding with hoodies on is bizarre.

“I would hate for it to happen to anyone else. It’s the thought that it could escalate and get worse and worse.

“People need to be more vigilant and aware that there’s a group of boys wearing hoodies on their bikes and they’re going around touching women in an intimate area.

“The chance that I’m the only woman they have done this to is slim. If the temptation arises then why wouldn’t they do it again?

“I think the best way of preventing this from happening again is for the boys to read this and for them to realise what they have done.

“They shouldn’t underestimate this sort of thing. It’s not a bit of fun, this is something that really affects people and their life. The fun that these boys were having at the cost of making someone feel so scared and broken is just not worth it.”

Ian Wall, a detective chief inspector for West Mercia Police, said: "We take reports of this nature very seriously and would like to reassure the community that we have increased patrols in the area.

"We would advise people to take care when out walking or jogging alone and be aware of others around them.

"Investigations are ongoing and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to please get in touch. Anyone with any information that could help with our enquiries is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 535s of 14 July."