Suspected rapist threatened to kill builder who helped victims escape
Detectives release CCTV images of suspect, who is a white man of muscular build, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a bald head or shaved blond hair and light-coloured short beard
A suspected rapist who abducted two women, one of whom is Jewish, threatened to kill a builder who helped them escape.
Detectives are hunting for the attacker who they say is a danger to women and has a distinctive tattoo of the name Bobbie on his stomach.
Two women, aged in their 20s, were snatched separately in London on Thursday – the first shortly after midnight from a street in Chingford and the second around 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware.
The suspect drove the women to a hotel in the Watford area and attempted to book a room at around 1pm but left when this was unavailable. They managed to escape in Osbourne Road, Watford, at around 2.30pm.
The attacker was seen dragging one of the victims by the hair after she managed to flee.
She jumped out of a silver or grey Ford S-Max and screamed for help, with builders who were working nearby rushing to her aid.
The boss of construction company Green Contractors Ltd, who wished only to be named as Alex, said that the attacker threatened to kill one of his employees who came to the women’s rescue.
Two members of his staff were crossing Osbourne Road, where they were working, when one of the women managed to jump out of the car.
Alex said of the attacker: “He went after her really pulling her by the hair, when the girl started to scream ‘help, help, help’.
“One of my workers went towards the victim and shouted ‘leave it, leave it’ and punched the perpetrator. He released the girl and started to get into a fighting position to fight back to the worker.”
Other builders came to help their colleague, and one of the women managed to hit the suspected rapist over the head with a bottle.
He then fled, telling the rescuer: “My friend, you’re dead.”
Alex added: “He was very aggressive, they thought it was some kind of a domestic row.
“I’m very shocked how an adult can be dragged into a car like that.”
He believes that one of the victims is Jewish.
Detectives have released CCTV images of the suspect, who is a white man of muscular build, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a bald head or shaved blond hair and a light-coloured short beard.
The car he was driving is believed to be a silver or grey Ford S-Max people carrier, with false registration plates.
A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rape but police said the hunt for the rapist continues.
The Times reported that one of the victims may have been pregnant.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
