Two Women Sexually Assaulted In Dunstable

12 January 2014, 05:58 | Updated: 12 January 2014, 06:13

Two women have been sexually assaulted within 15 minutes of each other in Dunstable.

The first assault happened at 17:15 on Friday.

The 28 year old victim was walking home through an alleyway near Apollo Close when she was grabbed on the shoulder. As she turned around the offender pushed her against a fence and tried to kiss her.

She struggled to get away and the man tried to put his hand down her trousers.

During the struggle the fence she was being forced against gave way and they both fell to the floor.

He then tried to force himself on top of her but she managed to get away.

The second incident then happened at 17:25 on Priory Gardens.

The victim was a 55 year old woman who had just left work.

The man, who matched the same description as that in the earlier assault, walked towards the woman and tried to hug her.

She pushed him away but then he tried to kiss her.

She shouted for him to get off her and he walked away in the direction of High Street North.

The man is described as being a white male of Mediterranean appearance, aged in his mid-20s to late 30s.

He's between 5"5 and 5"8 tall and of stocky build with dark hair, dark eyes, a strong accent.

He was wearing a long black coat which came to his knees, dark trousers or jeans and black shoes.

Detective Inspector Bernie White is investigating these attacks and would like to hear from anyone who saw either of the incidents or may have information about the offender.

“These are two very worrying incidents which thankfully didn’t result in serious injury to the victims. The first victim showed extreme courage to fight off her attacker in what must have been terrifying circumstance. The second victim acted with bravery and confidence to ensure that she was not going to be harmed by her attacker,” she said.

“While we are keeping an open mind about these incidents, given their close proximity to one another and the short time scale between the two, we believe that one man is responsible for both and I would urge anyone who was either area on Friday evening and can help us trace this individual then please contact us as soon as you can.”