City rapist may have struck before

A "stockbroker" rapist who attacked a 38-year-old professional woman is being hunted today by police in the City.

Detectives believe the man has struck before because he was "so calm and knew exactly what he was doing".

The hunt gets under way as police in south-east London investigate two terrifying sex attacks on women in their fifties.

The City attacker told his victim: "I used to be in the SAS but now I'm a stockbroker." He held his hand over her mouth and nose and said: "If you tell anyone about this I'll find where you live and kill you, your husband and children."

Det Sgt Mark Simmons said: "This man is a real danger and needs to be caught. My concern is that he had the confidence to walk up to this woman, take her by the arm and lead her away before raping her. It suggests to me that he has done it before using this method."

The woman, on a night out with friends, was approached after she went outside a pub to make a mobile phone call. She noticed a man loitering and moved away into Muscovy Street, near Fenchurch Street station.

But he grabbed her, led her onto a service road and raped her behind a skip. The entire 30-minute attack on 3 November was captured on CCTV cameras and the man is described as in his thirties, 5ft 8in, muscular and bald or with closely cropped hair.

It was taken counsellors a month to take a full statement from the traumatised victim.

At least six cars were captured on the video footage and a number of pedestrians walked within yards of where the attack took place.

Mr Simmons added: "She was in fear of her life. He also told her he had been married three times and made a reference to the IRA.

"This type of crime is very unusual in the City and we can not rule out that he is a financial worker." Anyone with information should call police on 020 7601 2222 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Meanwhile detectives are appealing for witnesses and information about two "serious sexual assaults" in Grove Park, south-east London, within a fortnight of each other last month. In the first the attacker claimed to be a policeman.

He approached a 51-year-old woman in Lambscroft Avenue. Det Insp Gary Kelly, of Lewisham CID, leading the investigation, said: "He told her he was a police officer and showed her a card carrying his photo. Then he asked her to go with him to his car and they walked into the Grove Park sports ground where he assaulted her." The victim was threatened with a knife. After more than 40 minutes she was told to walk away. Now she is still afraid to go out of her home.

In the second Grove Park incident, a 59-year-old woman became aware of a man behind her as she was walking in Marvels Lane at about 3.30am.

He threatened her and led her through alleyways into a car park on the edge of the Chinbrook Estate, overlooking the sports ground. She escaped but he caught and assaulted her before leaving with her handbag.

The victim was later given stitches for cuts to her face and treated for severe bruising. She is still in shock.

Both victims described the man who attacked them as 25 to 30 years old, about 6ft tall, slim and white, with short hair.

Mr Kelly said: "In the first incident he was wearing grey, possibly pinstriped trousers, a grey top and a black nylon hooded, zip-up jacket. The second victim described her attacker as wearing blue jeans, a dark hooded jacket and carrying a rucksack."

He said the incidents might be linked but added that he was keeping an open mind.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Lewisham CID on 020 8284 8345 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.