Police are on the hunt for a man in his 20s following a second sexually motivated knifepoint attack in two days in the Waterside area of Derry - this time during daylight hours.
Officers say a woman was walking her dog in the Top of the Hill Park area shortly before 3pm on Saturday when she was approached by a man armed with a kitchen knife. The man "grabbed at the woman" but she called out and defended herself with her dog lead, prompting the attacker to "run off".
A PSNI spokesperson said detectives are "investigating the possibility" the attack is linked to a similar attack in the Drumahoe area less than 24-hours earlier, on Friday night.
Read more: Women's fear after third report of serious sexual crime in Derry this week
Read more: PSNI appeal after woman pushed to ground at knifepoint in sexually motivated attack
Police say a "focused, tactical patrolling plan" is being put in place as the PSNI moves to address "concern in the community".
In the Drumahoe incident, police say a woman was allegedly punched to the side of the head, pulled into nearby trees and pushed to the ground at knifepoint before she struck her attacker in the head with a torch and escaped.
The alleged sexually motivated attack happened in Drumahoe Park at around 10pm.
On the latest incident in the Top of the Hill area, a police spokesperson said: "Detectives in Derry/Londonderry are investigating a sexually motivated attack on a woman in her 40s in the Waterside area on Saturday 2 November.
"The woman was walking her dog in Top of the Hill Park shortly before 3pm when she was approached by a man armed with a kitchen knife. The man grabbed at the woman but she called out and swung her dog lead at him, prompting him to run off."
The police spokesperson continued: "Police responded quickly and conducted a thorough search however the attacker had left the area.
"It’s believed the suspect headed in the direction of Corrody Road. He is described as a white man in his 20s, around 5’ 11” tall with a slim build and was wearing all black clothing. He had his hoody pulled tight around his face.
"Detectives are investigating the possibility that this attack is linked to a similar attack in Drumahoe on Friday night."
PSNI Detective Inspector Ross Olphert said: “We understand that there will be concern in the community at a second knifepoint attack on a woman in just two days, with this latest one occurring during daylight hours, however I can assure residents that a focused, tactical patrolling plan - which includes a high visibility police presence in key areas such as our local parks - has been implemented and there will be an increased police presence across the city in coming days.
"Whilst we are carrying out a number of enquiries to establish if there is any definitive link between these two attacks, I can assure residents that there is no link to attacks in the city centre last week. In both of those cases a suspect has been identified and those cases are ongoing."
The detective continued: "We are engaging with our communities and partners in the city around what we can do, as a collective, to ensure women and girls feel safe and empowered to go about their lives without fear.
"In the interim I would ask that if you notice someone acting suspiciously or if a person’s behaviour causes you concern, do not approach and instead call police immediately.
"Witnesses or anyone with information that could potentially assist our investigations can call 101 or submit online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ "
A police spokesperson added: "The Crimestoppers charity can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."
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