THE victim of a serious sexual assault has made an appeal to the public to help catch her attacker 12 months after her ordeal.

It was on May 27, 2005 that the elderly woman was assaulted in her home in Weymouth Road, Cheriton, near Folkestone.

The teeange intruder walked in through her patio doors and stole her holiday money - and her dignity.

At the time, police appealed for help and witnesses came forward, particularly when memories were jogged with information that on one of the hottest days of 2005, the culprit was wearing a woolly hat. But as yet, the culprit has escaped capture.

Speaking exclusively to the Kentish Express on the eve of the anniversary of her ordeal, the woman said the police could not have done more for her.

But she wants the attacker caught so no one else has to go through what she and her family have.

She said: "My greatest wish is for him to face what he has done.”

The woman and her husband still live in the house where the attack took place.

On that Friday, her husband was at work and she was alone, preparing for and looking forward to a trip the pair had planned. She had been to the bank and drawn out £400.

She said: “Something made me look at the patio doors. He was standing there. I got up from the chair and was waiting for him to speak.

“He asked where my bag was and said 'don’t move or I’ll kill you.’ He took me upstairs.

“It was minutes, but it seemed like hours. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it had happened.”

Det Insp Ian Nundy said: “This has been a harrowing experience for the victim and her family. Somebody must know the identification of this person, or have their suspicions. A family member or a friend. And I would urge them to come forward.

“Who had a large sum of money to spend? The response at the time was good. We had sightings, but we need the name. We need to resolve this for the sake of this lady.”