A woman fought off a man who attempted to rape her on a London Underground train late on Saturday night, as police released CCTV images of a suspect they believe may be homeless.
The attack happened at around 11.40pm on July 11 on a Bakerloo Line service travelling between Waterloo and Lambeth North stations. British Transport Police said the man approached the lone woman, exposed himself, then pulled her to the floor and tried to rape her.
“Police hunt man after attempted rape on Bakerloo Line train; victim fought back and escaped.”
The victim fought back and managed to escape the train at Lambeth North, where she alerted station staff. The man remained on board and is believed to have got off at Elephant and Castle station.
Detectives have established that the man pictured on CCTV was at Oxford Circus station before the attack and at Piccadilly Circus afterwards. Officers are now working to trace his movements.
Detective Sergeant Krishan Appannah said: “Our officers are supporting the victim following this horrific incident. We understand incidents of this nature are deeply concerning for the public and we’re appealing to them directly to help us identify the man in the CCTV footage. One line of enquiry is that he may be homeless.”
He added: “We are asking anyone who recognises the man in the images to text us his name to 61016 quoting reference 948 of 11 July. He may have vital information that could assist our ongoing investigation.”
Anyone with information can also contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
