Police in Aberdeenshire have said that a serious sexual assault, described in recent posts in social media, has not been reported to them.
A now-deleted post shared on Instagram today by Elgin-based bar company Humble Cocktails described an incident in which two of their employees discovered a woman who had been raped in Banchory.
The company put up a picture with the slogan ‘She was just walking home’, which has been adopted by campaigners for women’s safety in the wake of numerous high-profile incidents including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzins.
The accompanying caption claimed bar staff members found the woman “left for dead” with a belt around her neck at the side of the road in the Aberdeenshire town, early in the morning at the weekend.
It claims she was unconscious, but began breathing again after an hour of CPR from the employees, and police and ambulance arrived shortly afterwards.
‘No such reports made to police’
The caption continued: “It’s suspected she was on a night out in Aberdeen, was drugged, abducted and taken in a van to Banchory where she was raped and left for dead.”
After saying the woman would not be alive today if not for the help of the bar staff members, it adds: “She wasn’t young or naive – she was late 20s early 30s and had a little boy. The scum who did this are probably still out there.
“Be so careful and don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t ever leave your drink unattended. And don’t forget about the real dangers which Covid has seemed to overshadow.”
However, in a post on their Facebook page, police said there had been no reports of such an incident taking place at the weekend.
The statement says: “Police Scotland takes all incidents of sexual violence seriously and will thoroughly investigate any reports to establish the circumstances and bring those responsible to justice.”
The company took down the original post this afternoon, replacing it with another saying “I’ve deleted the post out of respect for the woman involved.
“The message remains the same for all women to keep safe and to help those in need.
“I’ve been asked not to comment any further on this awful situation.”
Humble Cocktails has been contacted for comment.