Police are investigating the rape of a 16-year-old girl in a nightclub in Leicester Square, early on Sunday morning.

The teenager and a group of friends entered the nightclub, Equinox, at 10pm on June 29.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said at some stage in the evening she was befriended by a male in his twenties.

About 2am the man took the teenager to a disused part of the club where he raped and seriously assaulted her.

The suspect left the club immediately after the rape. The teenager found her friends who were looking for her and police were called to the nightclub.

London Ambulance Service took the girl to hospital where she spent two days being treated for her injuries.

The suspect is described as aged in his early twenties, he is either black or of mixed race and is between 5'10" - 6'2" tall.

Detective Inspector Martin Johnson from Operation Sapphire, the unit dedicated to dealing with victims of all sexual assaults, said: "This has been a very traumatic time for this young girl who has also received some nasty injuries.

"We are appealing to anyone in the Equinox nightclub who saw anything suspicious and anyone with information to contact us on 020 7321 9716 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.