£5,000 reward offered for help to catch city centre sex attacker

A REWARD of £5,000 has been offered for information leading to the conviction of the man responsible for two serious sex attacks in Glasgow city centre.

One 20-year-old woman was raped and another aged 22 suffered a serious sex assault in separate attacks on the same street during the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The first incident took place at about 3:55am and the second at about 4:10am, Strathclyde Police said.

They both took place on James Watt Street near the Clyde riverfront at the access area at the back of building, the first in a car park and the second at an access ramp to it.

The man is said to have tried to engage the women in conversation before bundling them off the thoroughfare.

Both women had been returning home from separate nights out and did not know each other.

The 20-year-old victim needed hospital treatment as a result of the attack.

Yesterday, police said that they had received a positive response to the CCTV pictures released of a man suspected of carrying out two serious sexual assaults 15 minutes apart.

The suspect in both incidents is described as a white man, aged 20-30, between 5ft 8in and 5ft 10in, with a slim to medium build.

He is said to have light or brown hair and spoke with a local accent.

At the time of the assaults he was said to be smartly dressed, wearing a dark, fitted, long-sleeved shirt with light or grey dress trousers and shoes.

Police said that the man had been caught on CCTV prowling the area around the street where he carried out the attack for almost an hour beforehand.

Detective Inspector Kate Jamieson said: “The suspect was well dressed and potentially came from a Christmas night out.

“I do know that he was in the general area of Cadogan Street, Argyle Street and Broomielaw for approximately an hour from about 3:20am. If anybody recognises the description I would urge them to come forward.

“It’s crucial that we get him off the street as soon as possible.”

She said both victims were “extremely upset and distressed by the attacks” and were being supported by sexual offences liaison officers.

Chief Superintendent Val Thomson said extra officers will continue to patrol the area and she made a special plea for all people to look after themselves when on nights out at this time of year.

She said: “Always try to stay with your friends and make sure you are looking out for each other in the city.

“If you feel uncomfortable about your own safety or someone else’s safety, or if you’re not happy about the actions of someone within the city then let someone know about it.”

The £5,000 reward was put up by Crimestoppers.

The charity’s deputy chief executive, Dave Cording, said: “This was an extremely heinous attack on two women, with both suffering horrific ordeals.

“The person responsible for these attacks needs to be caught and brought to justice for his callous and cowardly actions, and the public can play a key role in identifying him.”