Officers investigating the vicious assault on a woman in Uxbridge that left her afraid to return to the town are working hard to bring the attacker to justice, according to the borough commander for Hillingdon .

Philippa May was walking from the town centre to her partner's house when she was attacked from behind by a man who made a sexual threat.

Ms May was left with nasty cuts and bruising to her face , and has said she is scared the offender could strike again.

The temporary borough commander for Hillingdon, Colin Wingrove, said it is important to get the CCTV images of the suspect out to the public in order to catch the violent offender.

Philippa May was attacked by a hooded stranger on Halloween

'We're determined'

T/Supt Wingrove, with the Metropolitan Police , said: “The main thing is to get the CCTV into the public arena and appeal for witnesses to come forward so we can follow up those leads.

“Our officers are exploring leads that come in. We're determined to bring this person to justice.”

Colin Wingrove

The attack happened at around 7.30pm on Monday October 31 in an alleyway leading from St Johns Road to the town centre.

Ms May's backpack containing two iPhones were stolen in the attack and are still missing.

Phones still missing

The suspect fled along St John's Road
The entrance to the lane where Philippa May was attacked

CCTV images released on Thursday (November 10) show a suspect following the victim before she was assaulted.

The offender is described as a male, wearing a hooded top and gloves.

T/Supt Wingrove added: “We've got our Autumn Nights campaign running with additional officers on patrol.

“Just to reassure the public we've got officers out, part of that is to prevent these attacks happening.”

Anyone with information relating to the incident is asked to contact DC Reda Imane or DS Andy Dawson at Hillingdon CID on 07500 102621 or 02082461552.

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