Tube sex attacker caught on camera

A woman told today how she was subjected to a terrifying sex attack on the Tube.

The 30-year-old Londoner was sitting in an empty carriage on the Metropolitan line early in the evening when the attacker struck her from behind.

During the frenzied attack, he tried to rape her while repeatedly kicking her in the face, breaking her cheekbone.

When the train arrived at the next station, the attacker was captured on CCTV fleeing with her handbag. He ran along the platform, jumped onto the tracks and clambered over a wall to escape.

Police warn that the attacker is "dangerous" and it is likely he will strike again.

The victim today described how she was transformed by her ordeal from an independent and outgoing young Londoner into one who was scared to leave her home or use public transport.

She told the Standard: "As well as the physical scars, I still have flashbacks and panic attacks every day. It is a constant struggle. I will never take a Metropolitan line train again.

"It happened two months ago but I was only able to go on the Underground for the first time last week. It has totally changed my attitude to life in London."

The attack took place at around 6.30pm as she was travelling north from Baker Street to visit friends. She said: "It was Sunday and it had been a really sunny day. I remember there were lots of people going home so most seats were taken when I got on the train.

"It's quite a long journey so I started playing a game on my mobile. The carriage started to thin out after a while, but I do the journey quite often and knew that was normal. It happened very suddenly. I was reaching into my bag for my perfume when I started getting kicked in the head from behind.

"There was absolutely no warning. I hadn't been aware of anyone else on the carriage but that's because of the way the seats are laid out on the Metropolitan line."

For the remainder of the two-minute journey between Northwood Hills and Northwood, the attacker rained frenzied blows onto her head and face as he tried to rape her.

She said: "It's amazing how much violence someone can inflict in just two minutes. The kicking and punching went on. I was trying not to get kicked onto the floor and it was mostly to my head. I didn't have time to think, I was just trying to defend myself, just trying to stop the blows.

"I kept trying to lift myself up so I could be seen from the window, because the train was overland at that point. But I was boxed in because of the nature of the carriage. This is a man who really hates women, I could feel it when he attacked me."

When the train finally arrived at Northwood and her attacker fled, she stumbled onto the platform, covered in blood and the police were called.

She said: "If I had been a weaker woman, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. I couldn't shut my eye for a week, I had a hairline fracture in my cheek, my face was totally disfigured with bruising and I now have a scar over my eyebrow."

But worse than the physical scar was the psychological legacy of her ordeal. She said: "I'm 30 years old and I'm independent, with a very active social life and I used to travel frequently by public transport.

"Suddenly, I was too frightened even to go to my own home. I had a major panic attack in a minicab the other day, simply because the driver's face looked a bit harsh. Having gone through that, I'd like to help other people and work in victim support. Luckily, I'm a fighter."

Detective Constable Paddy Kemp, of British Transport Police, described the attack, which happened on 26 May, as one of the worst on the Tube in recent years. He said: "An attack like this is very rare. We're concerned this man will strike again."

The suspect is described as being in his late thirties to early forties, with light brown hair. He had a London accent, was wearing jeans and fled towards Northwood Hills.

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 7391 5275 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.