Two lone women stabbed in Wapping in separate incidents

Two lone women were stabbed in potentially linked incidents in Wapping, the second of which took place today, police have said.

Both victims were attacked as they walked through a park area known locally as Wapping Woods, off Garnet Street.

The suspect is described as an Asian man, aged between 18 and 30, and 5ft 2ins to 6ft in height.

The first attack occurred at around 6.25pm on Tuesday, December 4, as the 38-year-old victim walked through the park.

The suspect approached her holding a knife and stabbed her before taking a digital camera from her bag and running off towards The Highway.

A second similar incident happened at around 12.25pm today in Wapping Woods in which the victim was a 26 year-old woman.

She was approached by a man holding a knife and forced into bushes where she was stabbed three times in the chest. It is not believed that anything was taken before the attacker ran away towards The Highway.

The victim was taken to an east London hospital in a serious condition where her injuries have been confirmed as non-life-threatening.

Following the first incident on December 4, the description of the suspect was given as an Asian male in his late teens or early 20s, between 5ft 2ins and 6ft in height, with a chubby build and short black straight hair with a brushed forward fringe. He was wearing a dark, unzipped hoodie with light tassels, and jeans.

The second victim described her attacker as an Asian man, aged around 30 years, 5ft 6ins to 5ft 7ins in height, with gelled messy hair and light stubble, and wearing denim jeans and a dark jacket.

Police are treating the attacks as potentially linked due to the similarities between the circumstances and victim descriptions.

Extra patrols in will be conducted in and around the area to provide reassurance to the community.

Insp Joseph McDonald of Tower Hamlets police said: “There are clear similarities between these incidents and officers are doing everything possible to find the man or men responsible.

“The violence used in these attacks is hugely concerning and could easily have led to a fatality.

“I would urge anyone with information that could assist officers to make contact with the police as soon as possible so that we can apprehend whoever is responsible.”

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