Women warned over attacker on loose in South Yorkshire countryside

A 29-year-old woman was reportedly dragged to the ground by an unknown assailant as she walked on Denaby Crags, in Doncaster, yesterday afternoon at around 2.15pm.

The suspect, who is said to have had his face covered, then ran off towards Peake Avenue, leaving his victim with minor head injuries.

South Yorkshire Police have advised women and girls not to walk alone in the Denaby Crags area as the attacker remains on the loose.

Detective Chief Inspector Jade Brice, from Doncaster, said: “I completely understand that incidents of this nature are concerning for the local community and I wish to reassure the public that we are treating this incident incredibly seriously.

"We have increased our patrols and I would ask that any members of the public out walking in the area take extra care and report anything suspicious to police.

"I know many of you will recall we had a series of crimes in this area in 2015. This investigation is in its initial stages so it is too early to say whether this is linked to those older incidents, though we are exploring all lines of enquiry.

"If you were on Denaby Craggs this afternoon and witnessed this incident, or saw a man running from the scene, please get in touch with us."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or email [email protected], quoting incident number 493 of January 13.