Man in black hoodie and covered face follows 'distressed' woman before grabbing another by wrist and neck at midnight near Rose Gardens, Southsea

A ‘DISTRESSED’ woman was followed by a hooded man who grabbed another female by the neck in Southsea.
By Freddie Webb
Published 23rd Sep 2022, 09:57 BST
Updated 23rd Sep 2022, 10:04 BST
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The first female was seen fleeing an area of bushes by the Rose Gardens – close to the tennis courts near Canoe Lake – just after midnight on Monday.

She was running towards the nearby golf course.

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A woman was seen in 'distress' at around midnight last Monday. A man was seen following her, and another woman was grabbed by the wrist and neck. Pictured are the Rose Gardens, in Southsea. Picture: Habibur RahmanA woman was seen in 'distress' at around midnight last Monday. A man was seen following her, and another woman was grabbed by the wrist and neck. Pictured are the Rose Gardens, in Southsea. Picture: Habibur Rahman
A woman was seen in 'distress' at around midnight last Monday. A man was seen following her, and another woman was grabbed by the wrist and neck. Pictured are the Rose Gardens, in Southsea. Picture: Habibur Rahman

Shortly afterwards, a man was spotted leaving the bushes.

He then grabbed another woman, in her 30s, by the wrist and neck, before walking off towards the Rose Gardens.

The female was not injured in the scuffle.

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Hampshire police are trying to identify the man and the woman who was seen in distress.

He was described as being aged between 30 and 35, of mixed race, 5ft 9ins tall, and having a Pakistani accent.

The man had his face covered, with only his eyes visible, and was wearing a black hoodie, black jogging bottoms and a plain black baseball cap.

Detective sergeant Terry Langworthy, Hampshire Constabulary’s criminal investigation department, said: ‘We are currently working to establish the exact circumstances of this incident and a key part of our enquiries is identifying and speaking to the woman who was seen in distress.

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‘We are very keen to speak to her to make sure she is ok and to find out if there is anything she would like to report to us.

‘We’re also working to identify the man described above and would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a man matching the above description or anyone acting suspiciously in the area.’

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DS Langworthy added that he is encouraging anyone who saw a woman who was upset, witnessed an altercation between a man and a woman at the time, or has potential dash cam footage of what happened, to come forward.

‘We appreciate that reports of this nature are concerning for those living in the area and we would like to reassure you that we are working really hard to establish the circumstances of what has happened and to locate the man involved,’ he said.

Extra officers will be patrolling the area over the next few days.

Information can be submitted to the police via 101, quoting 44220382284.