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Police renew CCTV appeal after Bunny Walks sex attack in Chelmsford

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DETECTIVES are appealing to Chronicle readers to help identify this man who is wanted for the sexual assault of a woman on the Bunny Walks in Chelmsford.

Police insist the attack on Friday, February 13, at about 5.45am, was an isolated incident, although three similar attacks nearby in January and March last year remain unsolved.

The victim, who is in her 30s and from Chelmsford, was groped, but Chief Inspector Alan Cook, the District Commander, says it could have been far worse if she had not fought back, forcing the man to flee in the direction of Springfield Road.

"Had the victim not fought, and caused the attacker to run off, we don't know what could have happened," Chief Inspector Cook said.

"Initially on CCTV, it looked like the woman was being dragged by the attacker, but that wasn't the case, and she actually managed to kick the man.

"Had she not been as quick to respond, we don't know where it would have led."

The suspect is described as white, in his early to mid-30s, of slim build and was wearing a dark green jacket, which could have been a body warmer, with white trainers. DS Nathan Hutchinson said: "We want to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw or heard what was going on.

"The man in the image was captured on CCTV in the area around the time of the incident and we are keen to speak to him."

The most recent attack followed a similar pattern to assaults which happened in or around the Bunny Walks on January 10, March 1 and March 8 last year, as on each occasion the women were grabbed from behind by a male attacker who groped their breasts.

But while police said they would be looking at the credentials of past incidents in the area, to see whether there were any similarities, they stressed that it was far too early to make any link.

Despite various attacks in the same area over the past few years, including a rape in December 2007, Chief Inspector Cook said the Bunny Walks had not recently been flagged as a crime hotspot, although he added that any remote area in a city could be a perfect location for "individuals to do strange things".

"The Bunny Walks isn't a hotspot, but I accept that over time, it is the sort of area where things like this could happen," said Chief Inspector Cook.

"After the serious rape there, CCTV was installed and the fact that we have caught this image on CCTV is fantastic.

"The partnership has been doing a review of places like underpasses and looking at whether things like lighting and CCTV are adequate, so Bunny Walks may be worth assessing as well.

"I would also consider extra patrols in the area."

Due to the secluded nature of the Bunny Walks, several residents of Hill View Road, which backs onto the wooded area by Riverside Retail Park, say they avoid walking there after dark.

"If you are on your own there, you're quite vulnerable," said one resident, who did not want to be named. "I won't walk home that way in winter as it gets dark so early."

Another resident pointed to the number of university students who used the Bunny Walks as a shortcut, urging them to be cautious when walking alone.

Police renew CCTV appeal after Bunny Walks sex attack in Chelmsford


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