Find him: Dad's plea after subway sex attack

8:52am Monday 4th February 2013 in News By Katie Clark and Steven Smith

The CCTV image The CCTV image

THE father of a young woman subjected to a frightening late-night sexual assault in Bournemouth says her attacker must be found before he strikes again.

Police have now released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to in relation to the attack which, as reported in the Daily Echo, happened in the subway between Holdenhurst Road and the travel interchange at around 1.30am on Friday.

The victim, a 20-year-old Bournemouth University student who lives in Winton, was unexpectedly grabbed from behind by an unknown man and attacked.

Her father said she had been out with friends at The Old Fire Station and was walking to get a bus home.

He said: “It’s a lot more serious than what’s come out so far. Being a university town, it’s terrible. It’s a shame that the CCTV cameras are not better in that part of town.

“She’s a pretty hardy character but shock can be a weird thing, it can affect you days afterwards.

“It was almost disbelief when I heard it had happened.

“The guy is still on the loose and is going to do it again. He could have had a knife on him, she’s very lucky.

“It’s a warning for young girls – or young men for that matter – not to walk home by themselves. It’s not a good idea.

“This guy needs to be caught and off the streets for the safety of everyone in the area.”

The woman escaped the terrifying incident without any serious physical injuries, but was left badly shaken by her ordeal.

Detective Inspector Becky Riggs, of Bournemouth CID, pictured left, said: “This unprovoked attack has left the victim very shaken and frightened.

“Following further enquiries, I am now able to release two CCTV images of a man we believe could help us with our investigation.

“I would urge the man pictured – and anyone who recognises him – to contact me, in confidence, as soon as possible.”

No arrests have been made.

The subway links Asda and the travel interchange with Holdenhurst Road and Bournemouth town centre.

This incident is the second reported sex attack in Bournemouth in little over a month.

Anyone with information should telephone police on 101, quoting incident number 01:20, or use Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Comments(50)

Old Colonial says...
9:14am Mon 4 Feb 13

How on earth is anyone expected to even come near to identifying the person in the CCTV image? This low grade system is not just a joke, it is worse than useless. Someone could look directly at the camera and still not be recognised.

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Bournesouthmouth Downpokes says...
9:18am Mon 4 Feb 13

Is this a sick inside joke? Is that a 5% compressed jpeg image of someone??!

CCTV cameras produce this mulch in such a busy intersection of Bmth? What a farce! That picture could represent 95% of anybody in England!

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BIGTONE says...
9:20am Mon 4 Feb 13

Old Colonial wrote:
How on earth is anyone expected to even come near to identifying the person in the CCTV image? This low grade system is not just a joke, it is worse than useless. Someone could look directly at the camera and still not be recognised.
Agree. A total waste of time.

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BournemouthMum says...
9:41am Mon 4 Feb 13

Poor girl. Subways are scary places which is why a lot of towns have replaced them with safer systems. I hope he's caught.

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HRH of Boscombe says...
10:09am Mon 4 Feb 13

Hope they do catch the guy but that camera is not worth the electricity.

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Morrigan says...
11:10am Mon 4 Feb 13

So the council spend millions on Palm trees and other complete rubbish to "enhance" the look of the town - yet fail to install good quality CCTV camera's to protect the very people who pay their wages! Shame on them!

I sincerely hope someone will know who this person is and dob him in - and quickly!

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Azphreal says...
11:38am Mon 4 Feb 13

When this story broke i made a comment asking about footage from the CCTV there and now i see what a pointless idea that was. A cheap webcam (a few pounds) has a better picture quality than this,as its clear there are people in the tunnel behind why have the police not asked if they would come forward? Also the report says that 2 images have been released so where is the other one?

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rotcoddam says...
11:43am Mon 4 Feb 13

Totally agree this image is an insult to the readers of this paper and the people of bournemouth. My fisrt thought on looking at the paper edition of the echo was why is there a picture of an astronought on the front page.. . Bournemouth police and council shoild be prosecuted for allowing such appalling cctv to be operating.

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jamiegiles says...
11:54am Mon 4 Feb 13

Who are the two people in the tunnel? They may have had a good look at him.

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EddieVH says...
12:31pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Echo / Police - Any chance of a few more frames of the CCTV? Perhaps a YouTube link...

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spooki says...
12:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13

That's a pretty pointless picture but someone may recognise it (I wont say 'him' because that would signify he's a man which he clearly is not). I wouldn't use that subway in daylight hours let alone 1.30am. Yet another selfish, idiot who thinks 'I'll have it' without worrying about anyone else. This is a large town in 2013 not some medieval village. What is wring with these perverted, sex crazed & violent people? And you lot making/using CCTV, what's the point of people making brilliant, advanced digital camera equipment showing so many mega-pixels & whatnot & having them everywhere if you can't get a decent picture of one person from it?

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Controversial But True says...
12:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13

I think we're on the lookout for someone made of Lego!

Where's the Council Tax actually going?

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Rabbitman64 says...
12:55pm Mon 4 Feb 13

The picture appears to be quite poor. Unlikely that too many people are going to recognise much from that? The Police probably have limited staff so have to rely on pictures. The assault is another example of all the Tory cutbacks!

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whataboutthat says...
1:17pm Mon 4 Feb 13

His name is:
Mr Pixel
7 Adobe Photoshop House
Illustrator Gardens
CS9.

Report this post »

Bournesouthmouth Downpokes says...
1:40pm Mon 4 Feb 13

rotcoddam wrote:
Totally agree this image is an insult to the readers of this paper and the people of bournemouth. My fisrt thought on looking at the paper edition of the echo was why is there a picture of an astronought on the front page.. . Bournemouth police and council shoild be prosecuted for allowing such appalling cctv to be operating.
That's the word I was looking for, but being such a degraded cctv image it is an insult to the poor innocent victim!

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BournemouthMum says...
2:03pm Mon 4 Feb 13

whataboutthat wrote:
His name is:
Mr Pixel
7 Adobe Photoshop House
Illustrator Gardens
CS9.
Lol!

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poolepaul says...
2:32pm Mon 4 Feb 13

BournemouthMum wrote:
whataboutthat wrote:
His name is:
Mr Pixel
7 Adobe Photoshop House
Illustrator Gardens
CS9.
Lol!
Sorry, but what part of this is a joke? A woman is assaulted, and people still find time to have a laugh and make idiotic comments. Nice. Real nice.

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Jetwasher says...
2:37pm Mon 4 Feb 13

The cctv image is laughable, why would they use equipment of such low grade, where did they get it from del boy, i bet it cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds to shoot this in 8bit. And if they did catch him he would be put before some micky mouse judge that dint know the time of day. A waste of time from start to finish i hope they do catch the scumbag thou

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Jacobsmith95 says...
2:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Never seen an image so pixelated. Its not the 80's, HD is not that difficult.

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Controversial But True says...
3:00pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Rabbitman64 wrote:
The picture appears to be quite poor. Unlikely that too many people are going to recognise much from that? The Police probably have limited staff so have to rely on pictures. The assault is another example of all the Tory cutbacks!
We've still got PCSO's roaming around like they have powers!! Probably between 9 - 5 though!

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politicaltrainspotter says...
3:36pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Four camera's are at this location and this is the best they can do.They are located on a lampost in the centre of the area and view each entrance to the location.If what they say, camera's are there for the reduction in crime, then god help us all.

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abc100 says...
4:08pm Mon 4 Feb 13

BournemouthMum wrote:
whataboutthat wrote: His name is: Mr Pixel 7 Adobe Photoshop House Illustrator Gardens CS9.
Lol!
Surprised you find anything funny about this story

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mungobean says...
4:13pm Mon 4 Feb 13

why was a young girl walking in the subway on her own at that time of the morning anyway? arent we still teaching our kids to be safe at night and not walk alone, especially in bournemouth and especially in a subway !!!!

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whataboutthat says...
5:01pm Mon 4 Feb 13

abc100 wrote:
BournemouthMum wrote:
whataboutthat wrote: His name is: Mr Pixel 7 Adobe Photoshop House Illustrator Gardens CS9.
Lol!
Surprised you find anything funny about this story
The joke is, sourpuss, that I am being asked to help solve a serious crime, which I am happy to do, with an image that can best be described as looking like a cross between Neil Armstrong walking on the moon photographed through a milk bottle bottom from the earth.
Whoever bought the CCTV system needs to see what detail a 3 chip HD Sony (about £4k) can record. It can pick off a mite on a fly's leg at 100 yards.

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mike in florida says...
5:26pm Mon 4 Feb 13

mungobean says...
4:13pm Mon 4 Feb 13

why was a young girl walking in the subway on her own at that time of the morning anyway? arent we still teaching our kids to be safe at night and not walk alone, especially in bournemouth and especially in a subway !!!!

that not the point,a young girl should be safe anytime,anywhere,
bbcouncil should be ashamed for cr*p pictures

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cycletourer says...
5:40pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Whatever happened to Bournemouth,the seaside town for pensioners.Now we have murders,Rapes violent assaults.To many Night clubs/late night pubs.Think i prefered the days when Bournemouth was the 'oldies' retirement choice of towns.

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moorsman70 says...
5:44pm Mon 4 Feb 13

oh we all know the answer to that but arnt allowed to say

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GAHmusic says...
5:49pm Mon 4 Feb 13

It's quite obvious the town centre CCTV is useless however I expect the only reason it has not been changed is councilors suffering from a touch of emperers new clothes syndrome as it has quite obviously never been any good since installed, much like the current council

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O'Reilly says...
6:08pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Always carry a can of Mace with you if you intend to be out on foot late at night.
Against the Law......foxtrot oscar.

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Vikki27 says...
6:27pm Mon 4 Feb 13

It's awful that this has happened, especially since there seem to be so many attacks of this kind.

I'm always surprised that any woman walks around Bournemouth on her own after midnight. It isn't safe. How many girls have been attacked now while doing this?

Really, every woman out there should learn that it's no longer safe to be out at that time of night unescorted.

Desperately hope they catch this horrible individual.

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mungobean says...
6:31pm Mon 4 Feb 13

mike in florida wrote:
mungobean says...
4:13pm Mon 4 Feb 13

why was a young girl walking in the subway on her own at that time of the morning anyway? arent we still teaching our kids to be safe at night and not walk alone, especially in bournemouth and especially in a subway !!!!

that not the point,a young girl should be safe anytime,anywhere,
bbcouncil should be ashamed for cr*p pictures
i agree that we should but safe but in this day and age you're not safe in broad daylight on the high street so you certainly shouldnt put yourself in a position where you're alone in a bournemouth subway at 1.30am in the morning and you're either incredibly stupid mike or incredibly niaive to think otherwise and to be fair even if the pics were crystal clear, it wouldnt have stopped the nutter attacking her.

Report this post »

rotcoddam says...
7:38pm Mon 4 Feb 13

The real issue here is that any potential criminal seeing the quality of the cctv now is fully aware that he/she has nothing whatsoever to worry about

Report this post »

Wageslave says...
7:56pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Time for a change in the law and allow women to carry mace spray as a defence.

Report this post »

benjamin says...
8:32pm Mon 4 Feb 13

If his face was a car numberplate doing over 70mph on a dark foggy night it would be instantly recognisable!

Report this post »

cycletourer says...
9:03pm Mon 4 Feb 13

benjamin wrote:
If his face was a car numberplate doing over 70mph on a dark foggy night it would be instantly recognisable!
that's because it makes money.Sad but true im afraid.

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fletch for manager says...
9:57pm Mon 4 Feb 13

benjamin wrote:
If his face was a car numberplate doing over 70mph on a dark foggy night it would be instantly recognisable!
Very true... Vigilante action is needed to regain control of the streets and drive the scum out.

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HRH of Boscombe says...
10:37pm Mon 4 Feb 13

Controversial But True wrote:
Rabbitman64 wrote:
The picture appears to be quite poor. Unlikely that too many people are going to recognise much from that? The Police probably have limited staff so have to rely on pictures. The assault is another example of all the Tory cutbacks!
We've still got PCSO's roaming around like they have powers!! Probably between 9 - 5 though!
Tut tut. They do have the power to ask you to wait where you are to be arrested.

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Yankee1 says...
11:08pm Mon 4 Feb 13

'Being a university town, it’s terrible.'

Bournemouth is not a university town. It is not a town for decent families, or retirees - or vulnerable students.

After 10.00 p.m. it belongs to drunks, drug addicts and hen parties.

It is, as towns go, a 'Jekyll and Hyde' to mention a novel written by Bournemouth resident Robert Louis Stevenson. It has two distinct personalities. And that is the reality, whether one likes it or not.

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Wilkie says...
7:26am Tue 5 Feb 13

cycletourer, it all started in the eighties when a certain second hand car dealer started buying up properties in Boscombe to turn into bedsits for DHSS tenants that he imported from Liverpool. I record a headline in the Echo at the time that 1500 persons from Liverpool were responsible for 42% of the crime in the area. The empire expanded and now we have, is it 8 drug rehab centres in the town.

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Hessenford says...
8:45am Tue 5 Feb 13

I can view live webcams on a computer from all over the world and see peoples faces as clear as a bell but in Bournemouth it seems technology is still firmly stuck in the dark ages.

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Flusters says...
9:08am Tue 5 Feb 13

In my view the creep's image reveals mannerisms such as the turned out foot and arrogant walk. Surely someone can recognise this nasty person? I wouldn't criticise the cameras... at least they caught the image. His face looks covered by a scarf or something.

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mike in florida says...
9:09am Tue 5 Feb 13

mungobean wrote:
mike in florida wrote:
mungobean says...
4:13pm Mon 4 Feb 13

why was a young girl walking in the subway on her own at that time of the morning anyway? arent we still teaching our kids to be safe at night and not walk alone, especially in bournemouth and especially in a subway !!!!

that not the point,a young girl should be safe anytime,anywhere,
bbcouncil should be ashamed for cr*p pictures
i agree that we should but safe but in this day and age you're not safe in broad daylight on the high street so you certainly shouldnt put yourself in a position where you're alone in a bournemouth subway at 1.30am in the morning and you're either incredibly stupid mike or incredibly niaive to think otherwise and to be fair even if the pics were crystal clear, it wouldnt have stopped the nutter attacking her.
im not stupid or niaive thanks mungo
i hope that in this society we live in there are some decent people out there whatever time of day it is

Report this post »

Flusters says...
9:15am Tue 5 Feb 13

The whole image is a bit pixelate but maybe this is the clearest image that could be achieved through enhancement? It might be a small enlarged part of a far wider image. You can't expect every part of Bournemouth to be covered by cameras and all that footage has to be analysed. The Dorset police do an awesome job. Thanks to their hard work they usually catch the culprit.

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Flusters says...
9:22am Tue 5 Feb 13

Every person regardless of sex or age should be able to walk anywhere and at any time without being molested in a civilised society. This is a crime perpetrated by the molester and not the victim. I've felt a bit scared walking through subways around the world (I used to live on the edge of Central Park when I was in my early twenties) but sometimes you just have to get from one place to another be you young or old, rich or poor, male or female.

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rozmister says...
10:01am Tue 5 Feb 13

mungobean wrote:
mike in florida wrote:
mungobean says...
4:13pm Mon 4 Feb 13

why was a young girl walking in the subway on her own at that time of the morning anyway? arent we still teaching our kids to be safe at night and not walk alone, especially in bournemouth and especially in a subway !!!!

that not the point,a young girl should be safe anytime,anywhere,
bbcouncil should be ashamed for cr*p pictures
i agree that we should but safe but in this day and age you're not safe in broad daylight on the high street so you certainly shouldnt put yourself in a position where you're alone in a bournemouth subway at 1.30am in the morning and you're either incredibly stupid mike or incredibly niaive to think otherwise and to be fair even if the pics were crystal clear, it wouldnt have stopped the nutter attacking her.
The attitude that women shouldn't walk places on their own is all part of the victim blaming culture that surrounds sex attacks. "She shouldn't have walked down a dark alley at night" or "She shouldn't have been drunk" or "She shouldn't have drunk so much". It's never acceptable to attack a woman or man; end of. And men and women should be perfectly safe to travel wherever they want in whatever state they want without being attacked.

The blame lies with the nasty lowlife scum that think it's acceptable to attack a young girl simply because she dared to walk somewhere alone at night.

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Dont drop litter says...
11:23am Tue 5 Feb 13

Rabbitman64 wrote:
The picture appears to be quite poor. Unlikely that too many people are going to recognise much from that? The Police probably have limited staff so have to rely on pictures. The assault is another example of all the Tory cutbacks!
Another one with a short memory. I am sure if good old Tony Blair hadn't spent all the cash and Gordon Brown's FSA had made a better job of watching what was going on in the Banking world the Council could afford a few more cameras.
p.s. Do you think this chav is a Tory?
I hope the girl is OK and that this waster gets caught.

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eaststandman says...
6:54pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Wilkie wrote:
cycletourer, it all started in the eighties when a certain second hand car dealer started buying up properties in Boscombe to turn into bedsits for DHSS tenants that he imported from Liverpool. I record a headline in the Echo at the time that 1500 persons from Liverpool were responsible for 42% of the crime in the area. The empire expanded and now we have, is it 8 drug rehab centres in the town.
Totally agree.

My hometown has been ruined by all the folk the north don't want and although you aren't allowed to say it - johnny foreigner.

Has to rank amongst one of the most revolting places in Britain now.

Unfortunately it appears that the government nor the council are allowed to turn it back into a nice place.

Report this post »

eaststandman says...
6:59pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Forgot to say I never shop here anymore. I always go to Southampton.

But, if I ever need Bottles, Vommit, Dog Mess, Litter, Drunks, Foreigners or Drugs then, yes of course I'll shop in Bournemouth - seven miles of Golden Rubbish.

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Wilkie says...
9:21pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Eastsrtandman, I think you got me wrong on many fronts. First and foremost, I love Bournemouth over any place and there is nowhere else on this planet that I would rather live. Despite the damage that has been perpetrated by said former second hand car dealer, we still have a town that has 7 miles of blue flag beaches, lovely gardens and parks, there remain large areas of beautiful detatched houses with sizable gardens, Poole harbour, Sandbanks, the Purbecks to the West, New Forest to the East... I could go on and on. Our worst area of Boscombe would actually be one of the better areas of many cities. Outside of some parts of Boscombe and Springbourne the town is clean and safe. I tend to know just healthy outdoor people and they are universal of the appreciation of the wonderul envirnment we live in.

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downmoor-ch63 says...
3:12pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Try finding the two people who are partially seen talking to one another beneath the subway.

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click2find

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