A serial sex attacker who has targeted dozens of elderly victims is thought to have struck again.
A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed to KOS Media yesterday that three burglaries, including one in Downham, Bromley borough, bore the “hallmarks” of the attacker.
The man, known as the Night Stalker because he strikes after dark, is thought to be responsible for offences across south east London, including Bromley, Beckenham and Orpington, dating back to at least 1990.
Set up in 1997, Operation Minstead has become the largest hunt for a serial
rapist ever mounted by the Metropolitan Police
It emerged yesterday that three new attacks are being linked to him. The latest was in Crathie Road, Lee, near Erith, at 2am on Wednesday.
Operation Minstead detectives are also investigating burglaries in Chelford
Road, Downham, at 3.40am on May 17 and on May 12 in Norwood, south London.
A spokesman for the Met told KOS Media: “There are some hallmarks, but to state they’re definitely Minstead is a bit early. At the moment these are burglaries we’re investigating. Obviously something must
have led them to be referred to the Minstead team, but we don’t have those
details.”
But a national newspaper yesterday quoted a police source as warning: “He is back and we would urge people to use sensible precautions and be vigilant about their security.”
It is understood at least two people were sexually assaulted in the three burglaries, but there are no reports of any injuries. If the link to the Night Stalker is confirmed, they would be his first reported attacks for three years.
Police say he has targeted men as well as women, aged from 68 to 93. He has
been known to remove victims’ light bulbs and cut their telephone lines during attacks.
DNA tests have established he is a light-skinned black man, whose family is
from the Windward Islands in the Caribbean and he is thought to be aged between 30 and 40.
Detectives have linked him to more than 100 break-ins since 1990 and four rapes.
Because many of the attacks have taken place in and around Orpington and Shirley, south London, police believe he has links to those areas.
In 2003, Detective Superintendent Simon Morgan, who heads Operation Minstead, said: “He either lives, works or has some connection with someone he visits in Orpington.
“This could be a child, a school or a job. We want people to come forward and tell us if they know of anyone who matches the description.”
POSTED: 07/06/2008 09:30:00
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