City of London Police appeal for information following sexual assault and theft

Officers are asking the public for help to identify a man in these CCTV images after a sexual assault and theft in the City of London.  

The first incident took place on Tuesday 28 September 2021 at approximately 8:05am, where the suspect approached a woman outside Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, EC4. The man had a beer bottle in his hand and shouted at her to give him her phone, causing the woman to feel intimidated and subsequently hand it to him.

The suspect then made his way to Little Britain, EC1, and stole a Santander bicycle from a cyclist. At 8:25am, the same suspect cycled past a woman who was walking between Leather Lane and Holborn Circus and grabbed her bottom over her clothing.

A/ Detective Inspector Hannah Sydney, from the City of London Police’s Public Protection Unit said:

“We are working hard to track down the man in these photos but we are appealing for the public’s help as we believe there may have been witnesses to these incidents.

We want to reassure anyone visiting the City that we are conducting a full and thorough investigation into what happened as we want people to feel safe when they visit the City.

“The suspect is described as a white man aged between 30 to 40 years old, with short hair, and he was wearing a red cap and casual blue clothing at the time of the incidents.

“If you have any information on this individual, please do get in touch. Any details, no matter how small, could prove significant in helping us track him down.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the City of London Police using the form on the public portal or by calling 020 7601 2222 and quoting 21000563055 for the robbery, 21000563596 for the theft of the Santander bike, or 21000563439 for the sexual assault. 

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.