A man is being held in custody over the violent rape of a young woman in Poplar.

The 27-year-old was arrested at an address in the area yesterday, three days after the alleged assault near the former African Queen pub.

Police are still asking for witnesses to come forward as the victim, in her 20s, receives support from sexual offence officers at a Haven facility.

She was returning home from central London around 4.30am on Thursday, December 4, after a night with friends, getting off the N15 bus in East India Dock Road.

She was grabbed from behind near Duff Street and dragged to a nearby waste ground by the disused African Queen pub, where she was raped and robbed of her money.

The victim’s calls for help were heard by a number of local residents and police were called, but the suspect ignored residents saying police were coming and continued with his assault.

When officers arrived the suspect had fled along Duff Street towards East India Dock Road.

Det Sgt Ian Valentine, from the Central Sapphire Team, said: “This was a particularly violent attack, with the suspect brazenly ignoring warnings from local residents that police were being called and continuing with the assault.”

He said incidents of this nature were “extremely rare” and said police had put on extra patrols in the area to provide reassurance.

• Anyone who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed the incident or seen the suspect flee should call police on 020 8733 6545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.