Woman attacked at knifepoint while walking dog in Ridgeway Park

The victim, 25, was walking her dog in an alleyway beneath Ridgeway Park, Waltham Forest, on Monday (July 20) when she was approached by a man sometime between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

Police say the man cut her clothes with a knife, banged her head against a wall, and kicked her dog as he attempted to sexually assault her.

But the woman fought back, and the suspect fled along the alley towards Chingford Avenue.

The suspect has been described as white, over 6ft tall, of a slim build with bright blue eyes and brown eyebrows.

It is said he was wearing a black beanie hat, black pullover, grey shorts, black latex gloves and a black facemask.

Detective Inspector Jeremy McDermott who leads the investigation said: “This was a cowardly attack by someone who was intent on hurting this woman, who had never seen him before. Despite the heart-stopping circumstances, she managed to fight back and force him to run away.

“Understandably, this incident is going to cause concern in the local community but please know that we are doing everything we can to find out who is responsible so we can hold them to account.

"However, we also need the public’s help. If you witnessed anything at all in the Ridgeway Park area, or the roads around the area, please get in contact. If you have CCTV of the area, I’d like to hear from you. No matter how small or insignificant you think it might be, please contact my team.

“We are working tirelessly, day and night, to identify and pursue offenders, help bring perpetrators to justice, support victims, engage and reassure the public, and keep our communities safe.”

A man, 26, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and released on bail to date in August.

Enquiries into the incident continues.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD5360/20JUL20.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.