A TERRIFIED 12-year-old boy tended to his semi-conscious mother when he found her lying wounded in a park after a violent sex attack.

Police are hunting three men who forced the victim to the ground and cut her twice in the stomach during the assault in West Bank Park, Holgate, on Thursday.

The woman's frightened son found her lying injured near the war memorial and monitored her breathing while receiving medical advice over his mobile phone until an ambulance arrived.

Det Supt Lewis Raw said: "It was a running dialogue with police and he described the medical condition of his mother, described where he was, and arranged for assistance."

Speaking at a packed press conference at Fulford Road Police Station yesterday, Det Supt Raw said the woman and her son were walking their dogs in the park at 5pm when they saw a man wearing a grey or light blue baseball cap pestering two youths.

"There is a suggestion she had approached this man in the park, who may have been the second suspect, and was told to Go away'," he said.

Police are investigating the possibility the three men were involved in a drugs-related incident at the time and whether this was a motive for later attacking the woman.

Det Supt Raw said the woman and her son returned home. But at 6.30pm the woman went back to the park with one of the dogs.

One of men grabbed the woman as she passed the war memorial and she was physically and sexually assaulted.

She was left semi-conscious with severe bruising and two puncture wounds to her stomach, which may have been caused by a four-inch vegetable knife later found in the park.

The woman was said to be "extremely shocked and distressed by her ordeal" but is recovering at York Hospital.

Detectives have released an efit of one of the attackers.

The man is said to be Afro-Carribean, 5ft 8ins to 5ft 10ins tall, stocky, and with dreadlocks in a high pony tail on top of his head. He wore a black polo shirt, dark coloured trousers, and spoke with a Birmingham accent.

The second man is 6ft 1ins tall, stocky, and wore a blue cap, blue t-shirt, pale coloured jeans and white footwear.

The third man is of mixed race, or very tanned, and 5ft 6 ins tall, and wore a t-shirt.

Since the attack, police have set up high-visibility patrols by community support and neighbourhood police officers, to reassure people in the area.

House-to-house inquiries were carried out and police have scoured the park, including a finger-tip search of the attack scene, to look for forensic evidence.

Det Supt Raw reassured people "such attacks were extremely rare in York".

West Bank Park has not previously been known for drug-related incidents, according to local people.

Police are appealing for the two youths who were being pestered in the park to come forward. One of them is described as 15-years-old, short and stocky with blonde hair, and the second had longer dark hair. They also want to hear from three teenage girls who were walking towards the basketball pitch shortly before the attack.

Anyone who was in the park between 5pm and 7pm, or has information about the attackers should phone York CID on 01904 669353.