A TEENAGE girl raped by a sex fiend as she walked through a popular country park believes someone is shielding her attacker.

The 17-year-old was dragged into undergrowth as she was taking her dog for a walk and raped as a large Gurkha knife was held at her throat.

Today speaking for the first time since the attack 12 days ago in the Moses Gate Country Park, on the outskirts of Farnworth, she urged anyone who believes they know her attacker to contact the police -- before he strikes again. The teenager said the ordeal, which lasted up to 15 minutes, will torment her for the rest of her life.

She told the Bolton Evening News: "I have not been out of the house by myself since this thing happened and I am finding it hard to get over the ordeal."

Trained police counsellors have been working with her since the brutal rape.

The girl, who described her attacker as "very dangerous", was grabbed around the waist and dragged into a small section of woodland before the man told her to strip naked. He then raped her.

He put a 14-inch Gurkha knife to her throat during her 15-minute ordeal at around 2.30pm on Tuesday, February 25.

The girl feared the man was going to kill her and added: "I was absolutely terrified."

She eventually managed to break free and ran away naked jumping into the River Croal and waded across the fast flowing river to safety.

She was spotted by two passers-by who raised the alarm. The man fled after she managed to break free.

The girl cannot be identified, but lives in the Farnworth area. She said the attack has left her "extremely distressed" but physically, although she suffered minor cuts and bruises, she was not seriously injured.

Speaking through detectives, she appealed to Bolton Evening News readers to tell police anything they know.

She added: "Please help the police to catch this man. He is very dangerous and must be caught. I would not want someone else to go through the same ordeal as I have. Someone out there must know who he is."

Detectives have called in a Cracker-style criminal profiler to help build up a psychological picture of the rapist and track him down. They are also working with souvenir and knife shops for information about the distinctive blade.

Det Insp Andy Aston, leading the hunt, today appealed for the rapist to give himself up.

He added: "We are determined to catch this man and we will not rest until we do so. Somebody must know who he is and there is no point in protecting him. It must be preying on people's consciences."

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0161 856 5840 or Crimestoppers on free phone 0800 555 111.