Woman assaulted in NSW backyard

A woman has been sexually assaulted by a man in the backyard of a Tamworth home.

The attack occurred when the 22-year-old woman walked into the backyard of her home in Harrier Parade, Calala late on Saturday night. The man ran away.

The man had reportedly been seen in the backyard of a home in nearby Boronia Drive earlier in the evening, police said.

Local detectives and officers from the Sex Crime Squad are investigating.