A 16-year-old youth has been charged with rape after a late-night assault on a woman as she walked across spare land in Darwen.

The teenager is from the Richmond Terrace area of Darwen.

He is also charged with an offence of burglary and was due to appear before Blackburn Magistrates today.

The alleged rape happened after the woman was followed through the streets in the Olive Street area of Darwen shortly after 11pm on Thursday.

A youth started a conversation with the woman in the Red Pepper takeaway.

He followed the woman, who is in her mid 30s, out of the shop and attacked her on spare land at the junction of Olive Lane and Garstang Street close to Quaker Lane.

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