Warning issued as towpath attacks rise

They are linking them to a robbery and an assault that have occurred on the towpath between Folly Bridge and the University boathouses.

On Friday, February 23, two female students were returning from the university boathouses at around 8pm when a youth leapt out from behind some bushes and shot at them with a BB gun. Neither woman was hit, and he ran off.

On Tuesday, February 27, at about 5.30pm, a youth sprayed a number of people with a red fire extinguisher in the same area.

He is a white youth aged 17 to 18, 5ft 8-9in tall, pale-skinned and wearing a dark-coloured hooded top and dark tracksuit bottoms.

He is believed to be behind a robbery on Saturday, February 24, at some time shortly before 9.30pm, when a 21-year-old female jogger was hit with a baseball bat and had her MP3 player stolen.

He is also being linked to an assault on a 27-year-old woman at 8pm on Monday, February 26, in the same area. The victim was threatened and then chased and grabbed around the neck from behind. He was believed to be carrying some kind of baseball bat, stick or club.

Det Con Lewis Mayling, from Oxford's Robbery Team, said: "These attacks are less serious than the ones previously reported, but they still concern us.

"The varying severity of the attacks means there could also have been other minor incidents along the towpath that haven't been reported. We would like to hear from anyone who has seen something suspicious along this stretch of towpath over the last two weeks.

"Please contact us if you know anything about these incidents or if you have seen a young man acting strangely along this stretch of the Thames.

"We advise residents, especially women on their own, to take care when using the towpath after dark because it is unlit."

Anyone with any information can contact Det Con Mayling via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don't want to speak to police and don't want to leave your name, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.