Calls are being made to provide street lighting in an area where a young woman was raped after being grabbed from behind and pulled into bushes.
Argyll and Bute Council is being asked to adopt the footpath adjacent to the old ambulance depot in Lochgilphead, between Manse Brae and a new housing scheme where Lochgilphead High School used to be.
The woman, in her early twenties, was walking in a lane near Manse Brae when she was attacked just before 1am on Sunday October 13.
The police investigation is continuing, with more than 150 people having been interviewed to date. There have been no arrests made but extra police patrols are taking place in the small town.
Lochgilphead Community Council has asked Argyll and Bute Council to adopt the footpath. Fyne Homes housing association has said it will fund the installation of street lights if the council agrees to surface the footway. Betty Rhodick, vice-chairwoman of Lochgilphead Community Council, said: “Everybody is quite fearful, especially if it can happen in a small place like this. We can only hope this will make it safer. There are a lot of over-hanging trees and it is quite dark there. A lot of people have concerns now about walking anywhere at night, but especially at that bit. We are calling for improvements to that area because of the fear factor. There is a new housing development there.”
Chief Inspector Marlene Bailey of Lochgilphead Police Station said: “It is a good thing to have any area lit up in terms of preventing crimes.
“Whether the crimes are sexual, theft or disorder, people would be less inclined to commit them in an area that is well lit, where they would be more easily identifiable.
“The inquiry has been going on for some considerable time and a number of avenues have been explored. We have been doing extra patrols around Lochgilphead and we will be continuing these as part of our festive patrol plan.”
Argyll and Bute Council’s area committee for Mid Argyll Kintyre and the Islands will meet tomorrow. Council officers have recommended that members progress plans to adopt the footpath.