A WOMAN was beaten and terrorised while being held against her will in an unknown city building.

The 23-year-old victim suffered a burn on her face, black eyes and had her hair hacked off.

She does not know exactly where she was being held captive.

The woman managed to escape sometime between 5.30pm and 6.15pm on Tuesday.

At 6.15pm, she arrived at an address in Northbrook Road to raise the alarm.

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Police want to hear from anyone who was in the Nicholstown or Newtown areas of Southampton between 5.30 and 6.15pm that night and may have seen anything.

Police particularly want to hear from an Asian man. The woman asked him how to get to Bitterne.

The woman had a distinctive appearance. She is white and had a burn on her face and badly bruised eyes. Most importantly, she had very roughly cut hair, some of which had been hacked down to scalp level. She was wearing track suit bottoms, a blue jacket and trainers.

Bitterne Detective Inspector Simon Baker said: “We need to find the premises where this woman was held. To help us, we need to know the route she followed after her escape.

“The Asian man who gave directions to this woman is vital to our investigation. He will know what direction she came from, so we need to hear from him as a matter of urgency.”

Det Insp Baker also appealed to Saints fans who may have been in the area at the time: “We know there were a lot of people out and about because of the Saints versus MK Dons match on Tuesday night.

“Anyone who saw this victim would remember her appearance, so we are appealing for information about any sightings of her.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Operation Citadel at Bitterne CID on 101 or the anonymous Crimestoppers charity line on 0800 555 111.