A 17-year-old girl is today in a state of deep shock after being raped by a masked intruder who broke into her home as she was sleeping.

The attacker woke her up and subjected her to the ordeal at her home in Scholes, Cleckheaton, at about 4.30am yesterday. The girl was alone in the house when the stranger struck.

The traumatised teenager was interviewed by detectives throughout yesterday to piece together details of the horrific attack and she was able to give a description of the rapist.

Cleckheaton councillor Ann Raistrick (pictured on the front page at www.telegraph-and-argus.co.uk) said: "I am shocked and surprised to hear about this incident. You just don't expect something like that to happen in your own home. It's dreadful."

Superintendent Stuart Hyde, of Dewsbury CID, who is leading the investigation, said: "The girl is very traumatised and is receiving counselling from specially trained officers and has been able to give them a statement.

"It is quite unusual for someone to be raped in their own home by a stranger. This man is dangerous and should not be approached.

"We are investigating other cases of serious sexual assault to see if there is a link with this case.

"The girl was alone in the house when the man broke into the house. She woke up to find him at the bottom of her bed and he carried out the serious sexual assault.

"The unusual thing in this case is that the man took away bed linen with him. These include a pink sheet, a green sheet, a duvet with pink, yellow and blue flowers joined together and a matching pillow.

"These may have been abandoned in a dustbin somewhere and we appeal to anyone who finds them to contact the police.

"We have 25 officers working on this case, looking for these items and carrying out house-to-house inquiries."

The attacker is white, in his late twenties and was wearing a black balaclava, black jeans with a large belt buckle and a black zip-up top.

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