Second jogger attacked by park murderer

Published on Sunday 7 December 2003 00:00

POLICE believe a killer who attacked an American artist as she ran through a park has struck again - but the woman jogger survived her brutal attack because she was treated by a passing doctor.

Detectives believe the man who stabbed to death Margaret Muller, 27, earlier this year in London, also knifed the 39-year-old woman runner on Friday.

The latest victim suffered serious injuries and only survived because she was treated on the spot by the doctor, who was also jogging.

The attack happened in Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, north London, 10 months after Muller was killed three miles away in Victoria Park, Hackney.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Shatford said: "Both victims are small in stature and the environmental features of the park are similar in that they are open spaces and have bushes and both even have deer parks.

"The attack was totally motiveless and there is no indication of robbery or sexual assault as the cause."

He added: "On each occasion, a knife has been used. For this reason, we are going to be demonstrably robust with this investigation and I will work on the assumption the person who killed Margaret is also responsible for this attack until we can prove otherwise."

Muller, who was 4ft 10ins, was found on a path between a rose garden and a playground in Victoria Park on February 3 after other joggers heard her screams. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the back.

Shatford said the latest victim was a local who jogged regularly in the park. She underwent surgery and is now in a stable condition in hospital.

He said: "Just after 5pm on Friday, a 39-year-old woman was jogging in Clissold Park. At some stage, she was approached by an individual who was wearing a hooded jacket. We believe that person to be probably a white male. He attacked her by stabbing her about the torso.

"She managed to escape from him and run away but collapsed because of her injuries after a short distance."

Muller, originally from Virginia, US, was a student at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. The Metropolitan Police launched the largest reconstruction exercise in its history in the hope of getting new clues.