THESE are the images of a young man detectives urgently want to speak to in connection with a serious sexual assault on a York woman.

He is captured on CCTV drinking at the Turf Tavern pub, in Thanet Road, Acomb, several hours before a woman was attacked in nearby Windsor Garth.

Officers said the man, who wore a distinctive white Lonsdale sports vest and had a tattoo on his upper left arm, had a similar description to that of the woman's attacker.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Costello, who is leading the investigation, said officers need to eliminate the man from their inquiries as soon as possible.

He said: "We want to speak to anyone who saw this man, or if he recognises himself, we would urge him to come forward so we can rule him out of our investigation.

"We would also ask anyone who was drinking in the Turf Tavern on the night Liverpool won the European Cup to contact me on 0845 60 60 24 7, quoting Operation Catapult."

He added police also want to speak to the second man captured on camera, who was wearing a T-shirt with a blue horizontal stripe, as he may have vital evidence. The 25-year-old woman was attacked on Wednesday, May 25, between 11pm and 11.30pm. Detectives said she had since been able to give them a good description of her assailant.

The man captured on CCTV was described as white, aged between 18 and 20, of slim but toned build, and between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in tall. He had short, blond hair, which may have been dyed.

He was believed to have spoken with a Midlands accent. He wore white Adidas tracksuit trousers and white trainers. He may have had an earring in one of his ears.

Detective Sergeant Costello said the man played pool in the pub and was asked to leave shortly before 11pm. Staff said he was acting "strangely".

The detective added that staff at the pub did not recognise him and did not believe he had visited before.

Updated: 10:08 Thursday, June 02, 2005