Hackney Marshes sex attack: Cyclist 'punches woman in head and tries to remove her clothes'

 
Marshes: The attack happened yesterday morning near the Lee Valley Riding Centre (Picture: Matthew Black/Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0)
Matthew Black
Ramzy Alwakeel16 July 2015
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A cyclist punched a young woman in the head before trying to strip her naked in an attempted sex attack Hackney Marshes.

Police are linking yesterday morning's terrifying incident in east London to an attempted assault moments earlier, when a man of a similar description started chasing a runner in the same area.

The woman's would-be assailant was scared off when the woman, in her 30s, shouted for help.

Both victims described the man as black and in his 30s, with a tall build.

The attempted sex attack on a woman in her 20s happened near the Lee Valley Riding Centre between Hackney and Walthamstow.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">something going on on Walthamstow marshes at the ice ring end - police cordoned off after an "incident"— nick jordan (@logomomo) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/logomomo/status/621618754485620736" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3331-https://twitter.com/logomomo/status/621618754485620736" data-vars-event-id="c23">July 16, 2015</a>

Det Sgt Jeremy McDermott, who is leading the investigation, said: "We are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who recognises the description of the suspect, to call us. Any information they have could be of use to our investigation."

Witnesses said police were "all over the marshes" following the attacks, shortly after 10.15am.

A 20-year-old man was today being held at an east London police station in connection with the incidents.

Anyone with information is asked to call 020 8217 7408 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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