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Search forSerial Bristol sex attacker strikes again
Friday, November 21, 2008, 12:34
The indecent attacks have happened in Clifton and Cotham in the last five weeks - and the attacks are becoming more serious, according to Avon and Somerset Police.
The latest attack took place at Hampton Park in Cotham on the junction with Cotham Hill at 3:30am on Friday morning.
The road was sealed off to drivers for forensic examinations.
Detectives did not link the assaults initially and believed they would be able to catch the attacker before he struck again.
But Superintendent Ian Wylie said he believed the assaults were connected and feared more women may have been approached by the man and failed to report it to police.
All five victims are young women in their twenties, and were attacked late at night or in the early hours of the morning in nearby streets Pembroke Road, Hanbury Road, Alma Road and the well-lit and busy Whiteladies Road. The exact locations and times were not revealed by police.
At least one of the victims is a student, according to a police spokesperson.
The attacker is described as white, around 5ft 10ins, with dark hair and dark clothes.
Sup Wylie said today he was "confident" the sex attacker would be caught.
He added: "The most recent attack took place in the early hours of this morning. That's now what we believe to be the fifth such offence.
"We've got a large team of officers involved in the investigation into those offences. We are going to have a large scale reassurance operation involving uniformed police officers and PCSOs over the coming days in this area.
"It was an indecent assault but it's still a serious offence and clearly very distressing for its victims which is why we've invested so much in the investigation."
Officers stepped up patrols in the area and an increased number of uniformed police were on the street last night [FRIDAY NIGHT]. It is a popular late-night drinking hotspot with students and young people in Bristol.
Sup Wylie added: "We've got a team of experienced officers working on this and we will identify who this offender is.
"Without going into specifics, there are clear links between those offences and we are linking them.
"I'd like to offer advice to females – they are still extremely unlikely to become a victim of this offender, this type of offence is very rare, however, we would like them to take additional care over the coming days and weeks in the area.
"If they're able, [they should] go home accompanied by someone else, perhaps take a taxi, use well-lit streets, and just be aware of the surrounding."
Anyone with information should contact Detectives on 0117 9455562 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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