Woman assaulted at knifepoint fights off attacker

Image caption, The woman was walking in Drumahoe Park on Friday evening when a man approached her from behind

A woman assaulted at knifepoint in a sexually motivated attack managed to fight off her attacker with a torch, police have said.

Police have begun an investigation into the attack in Drumahoe in County Londonderry.

Around 22:00 GMT on Friday a woman in her 20s was walking in Drumahoe Park when a man approached her from behind.

The man punched the woman to the side of her head, pulled her into nearby trees and pushed her to the ground at knifepoint, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

'Traumatised and distressed'

After a struggle the woman managed to strike the attacker in the face with her torch a number of times before breaking free and running for help.

The PSNI immediately responded to search for the attacker but he had fled the scene.

Det Insp Ross Olphert said: 鈥淯nderstandably the victim has been left traumatised and extremely distressed by this ordeal.

"Our specialist officers are continuing to support her today and a full investigation is underway.

"Attacks like this are an attack on all of us. Women should be free to go about their lives free from any threat."

Image caption, DUP MLA Gary Middleton says people are "rightly disgusted" that a young female was targeted in this way

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Foyle MLA Gary Middleton says his reaction is 鈥渙ne of anger and outrage鈥.

鈥淧eople are rightly disgusted at the fact that a young female was targeted in this way, a sexually motivated attack,鈥 he said.

"This is the latest case of a young female targeted in this way and it is completely unacceptable.

鈥淪o, as a society it is clear that there needs to be further conversations and there needs to be further change to ensure that those who perpetrate these acts are dealt with in a significant way and in a way that this type of behaviour isn鈥檛 repeated."

'All too common'

SDLP Foyle MLA Sin茅ad McLaughlin said residents in Derry are concerned after a number of recent sexually motivated attacks.

"This is the third report of a serious sexual attack in our city in a week," she said.

"We have a number of victims who have been through the worst experience imaginable and police have had to increase their patrols to reassure people.

"Violence like this is all too common place in our society and we have a long way to go before women and girls can feel safe just living their lives."

The PSNI is appealing to anyone who was in the park on Friday evening to contact them.