4 December 2012 Last updated at 14:44 ET

Middlesbrough rapes linked by police

Two rapes in the Tollesby Road area of Middlesbrough are being linked by police.

A 19-year-old woman reported being raped at a house in the area on 8 August and a 20-year-old reported an attack on 17 October.

Police want to trace a man they say is a potential witness who walked with the second woman from Southfield Road to Linthorpe Road.

They also want to talk to anyone who might be a victim of a similar offence.

Ch Insp Dave Lamplough from Middlesbrough Police said: "Our priority is to catch the person responsible for these terrible crimes as quickly as possible, but we need the public's help.

"Perhaps you have been on a night out and seen a man acting suspiciously in or around a pub or club.

"He may even have been behaving normally - in conversation with the victims and have left with her, in a taxi or private motor vehicle."