Predatory Gosport abductor who bundled woman into van in broad daylight still at large as police give update

A woman in her 20s was subjected to a terrifying ordeal after she was thrown into an orange-coloured van on Station Road, Brockhurst, between 3pm and 4pm on Tuesday, April 19, as reported by The News last week.

She was later found ‘distressed’ on a cycle path between Long Drive and Rowner Lane between 3pm and 4pm.

The woman escaped serious physical or sexual harm but was subjected to a prolonged assaulted before she managed to run from her attacker.

Police said they had stepped up patrols in the wake of the horrifying incident as the hunt for the daylight attacker continue.

The incident sparked fear and anxiety from women in the area as police sought to reassure those concerned by the capture.

The force has today confirmed no-one has yet been arrested but officers are still keeping up the pressure to find the menace.

A police spokesman said: ‘The investigation is very much ongoing and we will provide a further update when we are in a position to do so.’

The abduction in Station Road is understood to have happened on a bend by an entrance to woods which forms a main thoroughfare in the area.

Residents said they regularly witness drug dealing, men in cars loitering and picking up teenagers and girls being ‘harassed’ by males.

Anti-social behaviour from youths and homeless people climbing into back gardens was also said to take place, with the area also known for its flashing incidents and assaults - including reportedly those of a sexual nature.

One woman said: ‘I am terrified of what goes on here. It’s not new, it’s been going on for a while. I’m not surprised. So many criminals just get away with it.’

She added: ‘Male predators think they have the right to attack women here.’

Another female resident said: ‘I’m too scared to go out when it gets late. You see a lot of blokes just hanging around here in their cars and vans waiting to pick up school girls - with some getting in their vehicles.

‘There’s drug dealing in the woods which I see from my window.’

Police, responding to concerns, said they were ‘seeing a reduction in three of the incident types’ of offences raised by residents. These included sexual offences, assaults, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour.

‘Assaults for example have dropped from 31 reports to 23 reports this year, and vehicle crime has reduced from 11 reports to six,’ a spokesman said.

‘The only offence type above that has not seen a reduction in the Brockhurst area is sexual offences – with two sexual offences reported to police this year, and two in the same period in 2019, so the figures have remained the same.’

SEE ALSO: Sadness as person hit by train

Chief Inspector Fifi Gulam-Husen, district commander for Fareham and Gosport, said: ‘I am hopeful the crime reporting picture, based on our data, provides reassurance and useful context about what we are actually seeing as a police force.

‘Please do not think that we are being complacent or trying to invalidate the concerns that have been raised publicly. That is not the case at all.’