Chilling CCTV captured just minutes before a woman was sexually assaulted in the street shows a man walking through the area where she was attacked.
The footage was released by detectives investigating the incident which happened late at night, earlier this month.
According to officers, the victim was grabbed by a man before being sexually assaulted at the junction of Devonshire Road and High Park Road, in Southport, at around 11.20pm on October 17.
She was left extremely distressed by the attack and an appeal for witnesses was issued the next day.
Since then, police have issued footage of a man they believe may have information that could help their investigation.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "Detectives are issuing CCTV footage of a man who they believe may have information following a sexual assault in Southport earlier this month.
"At around 11.20pm on Saturday 17 October, it was reported that a woman was sexually assaulted at the junction of Devonshire Road and High Park Road.
"The woman was left distressed by the ordeal and is being supported by specialist officers.
"An initial appeal for witnesses and information was issued following this incident."
Detective Inspector Cat Walsh said: “We’d like to speak to the man in the footage as soon as possible.
"He may have vital information to help this investigation.
"If you recognise him or this footage reminds you of anything from the night in question, let us know.
“This was an extremely traumatic experience for the victim, and we are working hard to ensure that the person responsible is removed from our streets.
"We’re still keen to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Devonshire Road and High Park Road at about 11.20pm on Saturday and may have seen anything suspicious.
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"If you were driving in the area at the time and have dashcam, might you have caught him on camera, or on home CCTV? Please check any footage and let us know if you have.”
Anyone with information, is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC.
You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 20000630525 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
