2/5/2008

Local News in Fleet

Son shooed away from mum’s sex attack

Police have issued an e-fit picture of a man who sexually assaulted a woman in front of her three-year-old son while playing in a local beauty spot.

The mum shooed her son away to protect him from having to witness the assault.

The 40-year-old mother was with her son in Broad Oak Common, Odiham, when she was approached by a man who asked if she had seen his dog.

The woman mentioned she had seen a poster for a missing Labrador, but the man said his dog was a spaniel.

He then made an indecent suggestion before subjecting the mother to a serious sexual assault. The woman and her son managed to escape and run away.

The incident has shocked residents of nearby Odiham.

Odiham town centre manager and parish councillor Peter Fountain said the incident was similar to one in Hartley Wintney three days earlier, where a man tried to abduct three young girls.

In that incident, two of the girls managed to fight the man off when he grabbed their friend.

The man approached the girls, aged 12 and 13, a number of times as they walked along the High Street.

He asked their names but they ignored him and carried on walking to the One Stop shop.

About ten minutes later, the man approached the girls close to the Waggon and Horses pub and asked if they wanted a lift.

Again the girls declined and continued to walk to the fair being held on the village common.

A few minutes later, the man grabbed one of the girls but her friends were able to fight him off and the three ran away.

Mr Fountain said: “I think both these incidents were by drive through opportunists. I can’t think it’s anyone local.

“It really is extremely rare for anything like this to happen in Hartley Wintney or Odiham because we do live in relatively safe harmony.”

Since the Odiham attack, Mr Fountain has been approached by a number of women dog walkers who are now worried about walking in the area.

He said: “They’ve told me it’s given them the jitters but I’ve told them to just be careful at all times and carry something like a whistle.

“I’ve reassured them that it’s extremely rare for anything like that to happen around here but just to remember we do live in the real world as well.”

Ken Crookes, who has lived in Odiham for 28 years and represents the town on Hart District Council, had not heard about the latest incident.

However, he was told of similar approaches to women walking along the Basingstoke Canal in the Winchfield area while he was campaigning for the local elections last year.

But Cllr Crookes added: “I wouldn’t want to be alarmist because this is a safe place to live and I hope it’s an isolated incident.”

The man police are hunting in connection with the Odiham attack is described as white, in his 30s, about 5ft 10in tall and of stocky build. He had short, dark hair and was wearing jeans and a zip-up top.

Det Con Helen Calton of Aldershot CID, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a violent, unprovoked attack that could have been even more serious had the woman not managed to escape.

“The woman genuinely feared for her life and told her young son to run away because she did not want him to witness the attack.

“We are doing everything we can to find the person responsible and would urge anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, to contact the investigation team.”

Anyone with information about the incident, which happened last Wednesday (April 23) at about 2pm, should contact Det Con Calton at Aldershot CID on 0845 0454545 or leave an anonymous message with Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Police said they are not linking the Odiham and Hartley Wintney attacks.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman confirmed: “They are being treated as separate incidents.”

First printed in: Fleet News and Mail