An MP has spoken out after another woman was assaulted in an Oxfordshire town which has seen several such incidents this year.
Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage, has called the assault of a female runner on Mably Way “totally unacceptable” and has thanked the police for their quick work following the incident on the borders of Wantage and Grove.
The incident happened as a woman was running along Mably Way towards the roundabout near Lidl, when an unknown man riding a bike reportedly approached her on the road at around 4.30pm.
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As he passed, the man mounted the kerb where the woman was running and allegedly attempted to grab the hem of her shorts, Thames Valley Police said.
The woman was not injured, but the force said the incident was “distressing” for her and since then a 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection the incident and is being held in police custody.
As of Friday, May 15, police had no further updates on the investigation.
Mr Glover said: "This incident must have been frightening for the woman targeted and this type of behaviour is totally unacceptable.
“I thank the local Neighbourhood Police team for identifying a suspect quickly."
This is the latest assault against a woman to have happened in the area this year which, most notably, experienced a series of sexual attacks in January.
Najeebullah Arab, of Mayfield Avenue, Grove, appeared in court in Oxford on March 12, charged with one count of sexual assault.
He was also charged with sexual assault, rape and kidnapping against a different woman on January 27 this year.
Arab pleaded guilty to all offences, despite giving a not guilty plea to the kidnapping charge at first.
Arab is an Afghan national. He did not self-define his ethnicity when he came into police custody, and has since pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child in Grove on Friday, May 8.
That was on May 30, 2024.
Referring to this latest assault on Mably Way, the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner said that he hoped locals people had been assured by the “swift action” of police.
The Conservative commissioner Matthew Barber said: “This will have, understandably, been a distressing incident for the victim and of concern to the local community.
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"I hope local residents will be reassured by the swift action of Thames Valley Police arresting a 32-year-old man from Wantage in connection with the offence.
“The man has since been released on bail and the investigation remains ongoing.
“I would encourage anyone who has any information on the incident to report it via the Thames Valley Police website or by calling 101, quoting the reference number 43260225323.
“The policing team in Wantage and Grove will continue to be active in the community, with visible neighbourhood patrols, helping detect crime and keep people safe.”
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