Police looking for suspect in attack on girl

Updated Hamilton Police are looking for a man who attacked a teenaged girl on the mountain last night – an assault eerily similar to an attack in the same neighbourhood about six weeks ago.

Hamilton Police say a teenaged girl was walking along Crockett Street near Upper Wentworth about 8:30 pm, when she was grabbed from behind by a man who tried to hold onto her. She fought him off and got away. Before she ran home to call police, she saw him go into an alley near East 21st street, get into a car, and start driving north. She told police he was about 5’8″ and wore all black, including a black balaclava.

Hamilton Police are still also actively pursuing a very similar incident that happened October 1st, around the same time in the evening, at nearby Inch Park. In that case a woman in her twenties was jogging with her dog when she was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted.

After that assault police released a composite sketch of the suspect (left): a man about 5’9″, medium build, with pale skin and spiky blond hair.

Investigators won’t say these two attacks are related – just that they’re still investigating both. So far no arrests have been made, but the suspect descriptions and assaults are similar.

Lisa Hepfner has details on the attack: