THIS is the face of a man the police want to interview in connection with the rape of a 10-year-old girl in Ashford.

It was on Thursday, November 15, when the girl, a member of the newly-opened Stanhope Shuttle Club, was snatched from outside the Stanhope Shuttle Youth Club. She was dragged across a playing field before being beaten and raped in woodland close to flats in Speldhurst Close. She finally managed to escape and ran to a friend's house.

This week a police spokeswoman said it had been decided to publish an impression of a man seen standing at a bus stop near the centre between 8.30pm and 9pm on the night of the attack.

Until now it had been shown only to those directly involved in the case. The spokeswoman described the man as being in his late 20s or early 30s, 5ft 7in to 5ft 8in tall and skinny. He had prominent cheekbones and his face could be described as gaunt. He wore blue jeans and a dark top with a hood or a hat.

Det Insp Michael Judge, who is in day-to-day charge of the investigation, said: "This E-fit is of a person we know was standing by the bus top on the night. We need to trace him."

For one week the police are setting up a mobile incident room outside the Ray Allen Centre, which is home to the Shuttle club. The room will remain open until 8pm each evening and will contain pictures, photographs and maps relevant to the case which the public will be invited to study.

Two police officers, one from the local Weald force and one from the investigating team, will be on duty there all the time. "We want people to call in and see if they can help us," added the spokeswoman.

The Kentish Express newspaper is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for the attack.