Woman grabbed from behind by man in balaclava in Leigh Park - police are appealing for witnesses
A woman was assaulted late at night in Leigh Park and only escaped after fighting the man off.
The woman in her 30s was walking along Ramsdale Avenue between 2am and 4am on Sunday, August 10, when a man in a balaclava grabbed her from behind at the junction with Penfold Way. The man put his arm around her and covered her mouth but she escaped by biting his hand, hitting him in the mouth and running away.
Police are now calling for anyone with information to come forward and have released the below description of the man:
- Approximately 5ft 10 inches tall
- Speaking with a London / cockney accent
- Wearing a grey and black tracksuit, black balaclava and gloves
Inspector Paul Bromell said: “We are aware that this incident will have caused concern in the community and I want to assure you that we have been carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances.
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams have been carrying out patrols in the area. Please speak to a uniformed officer if you have any questions or concerns. We are asking for anyone who witnessed this incident to please report this information to us.”
The woman was not seriously hurt during the incident but did injure her ankle when she ran away.
A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: “Do you have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage of the area from around the time of the incident? Did you witness anyone behaving suspiciously in the area around this time?
“If you have any information which could assist our investigation, please report this to us by calling 101 quoting 44250359243. Or report online via https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
“Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.”