Second patient raped in hospital

A second woman has been raped at a London hospital - this time by a man who walked into her private room off the street.

Detectives today feared that the assault could be the work of a "copycat rapist" following the revelation 10 days ago of a similar attack at another hospital.

The latest victim, who is 60 and extremely unwell, was raped in her own room in the Brent Ward of the John Conolly Unit of the West London Mental Health Trust in Hanwell.

The attacker is thought to have walked in off the street, through the mixed sex ward and into his victim's private room.

A nurse making a routine check on the patient raised the alarm, but the man fled before security staff arrived.

The rapist, who police say is black, is reported to have been seen acting suspiciously at the building a number of times in recent weeks.

However, he was still able to get past security and enter the ward with ease, and the incident adds to concerns over hospital security. Detectives are today scouring CCTV footage from the building as hospital chiefs launch a full-scale review of security

Health Secretary Alan Milburn, who was informed of the previous case, has also been briefed on the latest attack, which happened at 4.45pm last Friday.

The victim, who was on a ward for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression and nervous disorders, told police the attacker told her he would give her "treatment" for her illness before raping her. The unit, a low-rise building opened in 1992, is managed by the West London Mental Health Trust. It is on the same site as Ealing hospital and is next to the maternity wing.

Although all patients have their own rooms, as in most psychiatric units the ward is open so patients can come and go freely. The entrance is manned by a security guard and signs tell visitors they cannot enter without identification.

A trust spokesman refused to discuss security at the hospital. He said: "The trust will set in motion an inquiry, but the exact timing and terms of reference will be determined in the light of the way the police investigation is going."

Mental health charities Mind and Sane said the latest attack was further proof that mixed-sex wards should be abolished.

Marjorie Wallace, of Sane, said: "In the past few years we have seen a rise in the number of rapes taking place in mixed-sex wards.

"Mentally-ill people are, by the very nature of their illness, doubly vulnerable and generally hospital wards today are not very safe places for them to be.

"In many hospitals with mental health units, the staff are so understaffed, under-resourced and demoralised that it comes as no surprise to us that serious incidents such as these happen."

Scotland Yard confirmed that CID officers at Southall, are investigating the rape and are seeking the identity of a black man seen acting suspiciously at the hospital.

Officers are appealing for information and any witnesses to come forward.