A woman in her twenties was pushed to the ground and sexually assaulted by a stranger as she walked along Boundary Road - the third attack in three months.

The victim was walking alone when she was approached by an unknown man, pushed to the ground and assaulted, police say.

Bournemouth Echo:

A member of the public disturbed the offender and he cycled away.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident.  The offender is described as white, approximately five feet seven inches tall and aged in his late 20s or early 30s.

He has pale skin, short dark hair and was wearing a thigh-length black coat and was riding a mountain-style bike.

A cordon is in place on both sides of the footbridge across Boundary Road and a forensic tent can be seen on Namu Road. 

Bournemouth Echo:

It is the third sexually-motived attack involving a man approaching a woman from behind her back which has occurred in the area within the past two months.

On September 14, a woman in her twenties appealed for the public’s to the public for their help in finding her attacker as she walked along Norton Road towards the footbridge along Boundary Road.

In similar circumstances to Thursday evening’s assault, the victim was pushed to the ground in a ‘scary and horrible experience’, before she screamed and the offender got on his bike and rode off towards Redhill Park.

At the time, Detective Sergeant Dave Colomb of the Serious Sex Offences Team at Dorset Police said that the crimes have a ‘great impact’ on the victims, before adding that they are committed to finding the offender.

Just a day later, a woman of the same age range was running along a footpath in a wooded area at Slades Farm when she was approached by a man from behind who grabbed her ponytail and pushed her to the ground.

The victim started to scream and the offender ran off in the opposite direction.

Officers set up a cordon containing a white forensics tent, which taped off the footbridge over Boundary Road and sections of Namu Road and Glenmoor Road, to allow crime scene investigators to carry out their examinations.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Derbyshire, of Bournemouth CID, said: “I would urge anyone who was near to Bournemouth University, Boundary Road and the access road adjacent to it at around 9.40pm last night to please contact Dorset Police.

“I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a man riding a bike in this area in suspicious circumstances.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 24:426. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.