DETECTIVES hunting a rapist who dragged a teenage girl into a churchyard before assaulting her have taken the unusual step of naming a man they want to question about the attack.

The man they are seeking, Mohammed Shabbir, 31, arrived in Nelson from Pakistan last September but has since vanished from his home.

His details have been circulated to airports across the country and a renewed appeal has gone out to the local Asian community to help find Mr Shabbir. Detectives want to speak to him about the rape of a 15-year-old girl in the grounds of St Mary's Church, Manchester Road, Nelson, at 8.30pm on November 9, 1998.

She was walking home from a friend's when she was grabbed by a man and dragged into the overgrown grounds of the disused church and violently assaulted before being raped.

The man put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming out.

Police carried out DNA tests on more than 200 local men in a bid to catch the girl's attacker.

Anyone with any information on Mr Shabbir's whereabouts or on the attack is asked to contact Burnley police on 01282 425001 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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