Boy, 17, r*ped in church graveyard in ‘horrific ordeal’

A 17-year-old boy has been r-ped in a church graveyard in a ‘horrific ordeal’, police said. The teenager was walking through the town centre at around midnight when a stranger started talking to him.

The pair were then walking through the graveyard, on Church Road, when the victim was punched in the stomach by the culprit, before being raped. The boy went to hospital and officers attended on June 22. A police cordon was put in place at the scene while forensic officers investigated the area. It has since been lifted. The victim is now being supported by specially trained officers.

A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape on the same day of the incident in the grounds of Eccles Parish Church in Eccles, Greater Manchester. He has since been released under investigation pending further enquiries. Greater Manchester Police are now searching for a man and woman who took the teenager to hospital.