A SAMARITAN who went to the aid of the victim of a sexual assault may not have been aware of her ordeal because the victim has a speech impediment, York Police have revealed.

Police want to speak to key witnesses following the attack in the grounds of St Martin's Church in the Micklegate area in the early hours of Sunday.

These include the person who went to help the woman, as well as revellers who were in the Reflex bar where she had been drinking earlier.

Police spokesman Ron Johnson, pictured, said: "In particular, York Police want to trace someone who came to the assistance of the victim in Micklegate shortly after the attack.

"The person may have had difficulty in communicating with her because she has a speech impediment and so he or she may not be aware that the woman had been assaulted.

"The victim was placed in a taxi that already had a male fare in it and the taxi took the complainant to the Huntington Road area of York."

The victim was a 36-year-old York woman who had spent the night in the Reflex bar before leaving with a man.

The attack is believed to have happened between 1am and 4am.

Acting detective sergeant Carl Nelson said police were examining CCTV footage of the evening.

He said: "We have not had the kind of response we would have expected because we have done house to house enquiries and spoken to people in the area.

"At that time of the morning it was still quite heaving with people on their way home and we would have expected to have heard from people leaving the city at that time."

He said officers believed one man had been responsible for the attack, but there was also a group of males in the area and police were keen to talk to them.

Police are asking for the person who helped, the taxi driver and customer in the taxi to phone the incident line on 01609 768111.

They are also appealing for anyone who was in the area of Micklegate, George Hudson Street and St Martin's Lane between 9pm on Saturday and 6am on Sunday who saw the victim or the attacker to contact police.

The victim is described as white, 5ft 6in tall with blonde wavy, highlighted hair, and was wearing black plastic trousers, a black plastic jacket and a white polo shirt.

The attacker was a white male, aged between 26 and 30, with black spiky gelled hair, blue eyes, a smooth complexion and a chunky, but not fat, build.

He was wearing a black hooded jacket and dark trousers.

Updated: 10:32 Wednesday, November 16, 2005