Video: Women warned – ‘Beware, Leeds rapist could strike again’

The detective leading the investigation into a violent sex attack says other women should be on their guard, warning: “He could strike again.”
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Apr 2015, 10:53 BST
Det Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledgeDet Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledge
Det Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledge

Det Supt Nick Wallen is leading a team who are still hunting the man who grabbed an 18-year-old woman as she waited at a bus stop in Beeston Road, Beeston, Leeds, on March 6.

He bludgeoned her with a rock in the garden of a nearby house before raping her as she lay unconscious and then walked away, leaving her for dead.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It has since emerged the attacker unsuccessfully stalked three other women before the incident in Beeston.

Det Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledgeDet Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledge
Det Supt Nick Wallen on Wellington Street, Leeds, where one woman was followed without her knowledge

Two took evasive action to avoid him. The third is thought to have been oblivious to his presence. The predator remains at large.

Det Supt Wallen said: “There is a possibility that he could attack again, which is why it’s vitally important that people come forward with any information they may have. It could be that final piece in the jigsaw.”

He said the victim was recovering after suffering serious head injuries and a broken hip but added: “It’s the psychological recovery that will be the long-term challenge.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Officers have pieced together the rapist’s movements before the attack in Beeston.

A CCTV image of the attackerA CCTV image of the attacker
A CCTV image of the attacker

They know he followed one woman from close to TGI Fridays on Kirkstall Road towards the city centre before she got on a bus to escape him.

He then walked along Wellington Street and followed a second woman close to West Point flats. Unbeknown to her at one point he was just inches behind her before she walked into Toast bar. A third woman was stalked from the city centre to Burley Road, where she walked into Tesco Express to escape.

Det Supt Wallen said: “I would say to young women in Leeds, who will be worried about this, that they should take every opportunity to look after themselves and be aware of where they are all the time.”