A police prosecutor has advised women in Germany to “run in pairs” and be mindful of their surroundings after a woman was brutally attacked in a public park.

The unnamed victim, said to be “over 50 years old”, was out for a morning run when a stranger hurled her to the ground, dragged her into a nearby field, and raped her, Stern reports.

The rapist also beat her so severely that she required emergency facial surgery after she was found.

Police have described the perpetrator as a bearded, stocky male “of the southern type” — politically correct code for Middle Eastern or North African in Germany.

Following the attack, Leipzig police prosecutor Uwe Voigt told Stern: “It would be better if women jogged in pairs, or at the least that they make sure that there is always someone else around.”

He added: “When they run past someone, joggers should always look back to make sure they are not about to be attacked.”

The comments echoed those of the mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, who after the mass rapes and sexual assaults committed by migrants on New Year’s Eve 2015 told women to keep strangers at “arm’s length” to prevent attacks.

Voight’s remarks sparked widespread anger, with city mayor Burkhard Jung telling Bild that people “want to live in a city in which it is self-evident that women can go jogging alone in a park, in a city, in which everyone is safe”.

The Social Democrat politician said that for this to happen, the authorities would have to put more law enforcement officers on the streets and in the parks.

Recently Arrived Migrant Arrested After Rape and Murder of EU Official’s Teen Daughter https://t.co/ZHr4CVDLXd pic.twitter.com/RFXHN2ppJ0 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 4, 2016

Germany has experienced what the Gatestone Institute has described as a “rape epidemic” since the onset of the migrant crisis.

The situation first came to widespread public attention after the mass sex attacks in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, which saw over 600 victims come forward — and the authorities accused of attempting a cover-up.

Other European countries find themselves in similar situations, with Austria having to introduce security at public pools after attacks on women and children, and Sweden proposing women-only concerts in response to dozens of sexual assaults and rapes at music festivals.

Fo llow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery