11/08/2008

Police Quiz Man Over 'Violent' Attacks On Women

A man has been arrested and is being questioned by police regarding a series of violent attacks on women in Sussex.

Detectives arrested a man after a 38-year-old woman was attacked in a quiet footpath in an East Sussex town on Sunday night.

The victim needed hospital treatment for her injuries.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said the 26-year-old man was being questioned about the assault and "other similar attacks" in Hastings. The man was arrested at the scene of the latest incident.

Police are investigating 10 attacks as part of Operation Medium.

The first of the attacks, all on teenage girls and women aged between 16 and 33, took place in June 2007 and the most recent attack was in May of this year.

Police say the attacker would strike between 9pm and 3am and there appeared to be no sexual motive and nothing was stolen.

Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Bowles said: "The willingness of this man to use unprovoked violence against women is a great concern and we urgently need to find the man responsible.

"We know the man is white, probably in his twenties or thirties, with dark hair and he may have a muscular build.

Det Ch Ins Bowles added: "It is obvious he has a grave dislike of women."

Last month, police said there were also looking at six further incidents that had not been formally linked, but had "striking" similarities.

A further five offences have also been looked at, going back to 2006.

A £10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to a conviction.

(DS/JM)

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