Double sex attacker prowled streets

A “SMARTLY dressed” sex attacker who raped one woman and sexually assaulted another in separate incidents in the same street prowled the area for almost an hour before choosing his victims, police said.

The two attacks occurred within 15 minutes in the centre of Glasgow in the early hours of yesterday.

The victims were not known to each other, and were said to have been walking home separately from nights out when they were attacked on James Watt Street, close to the Broomielaw and just minutes from Central Station.

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Strathclyde Police said CCTV had captured footage of the man they believe to be the suspect.

Police said that the first victim, a 20-year-old woman, ran from the street on to the Broomielaw, next to the River Clyde, and hailed a passing taxi after she had been raped in the car park at the back of a building at 3:55am.

As officers arrived to deal with the first incident, the second victim, a 22-year-old woman, flagged a passing delivering driver further up James Watt Street after the attacker had attempted to rape her on an off-ramp leading into the car park of the same building at about 4:10am. Both victims described their attacker as wearing a shirt, tie and a “distinctive white or silver watch”.

He had approached both of them separately on the street and attempted to engage them in conversation before forcing them off the thoroughfare, as they headed towards the Clyde end of the road.

Detective Inspector Kate Jamieson, who is in charge of the investigation, said the man had been seen walking around the area for “a significant period” before the attacks.

“The man was very smartly dressed and may have been coming from a Christmas party or a night out with friends, family or colleagues before the incident,” she said. “He was wearing a fitted dark shirt or jacket, grey work trousers, a light tie and shoes as well as a quite distinctive white or silver watch.

“The man was seen wandering in the area for a significant period, which may jog anyone’s memory. He forced the girls into areas off the main street after he had made a passing comment to both girls, which they didn’t pay much attention to.”

The first victim received hospital treatment after the attack.

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CCTV footage showed the suspect wandering around Cadogan, James Watt and Argyle streets as well as the Broomielaw before the attack.

Both of the victims tried to fight off the sex attacker after he approached them and had been left traumatised by the attacks.

Det Insp Jamieson added: “We are currently examining CCTV and carrying out extensive inquiries to identify the man responsible for these despicable attacks on two young women.”

Strathclyde Police cordoned off the street for several hours after the incident.

Chief Superintendent Val Thomson said she was confident the attacker would be caught quickly. She added that additional police would be patrolling the Broomielaw area. “The vast majority of the thousands visiting the city centre each night return home safely,” she said.

“Our advice is, if you are on a night out, try not to wander alone and stick to well-lit streets.”

The suspect is described as being in his mid-20s, 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in, with a slim to medium build and light brown hair..

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