Police hunt brutal Kensington Gardens rapist

9:16am today Wednesday 23rd April 2003

A man responsible for a violent attack and rape of a woman in Kensington Gardens on Easter Monday is being hunted by police.

Detectives are urgently appealing for information about the attack, saying the rapist picked his victim by chance.

The 29-year-old woman was walking from Lancaster Gate to a North London house she was staying at when she stopped a man about 4am in Queensway to ask directions.

The man told her to take a route through Hyde Park and offered to show her the way.

As they made their way into Kensington Gardens, he launched a brutal attack on the woman.

The woman suffered severe bruising to her neck, face, and arms during the rape, which took place near the Physical Energy Statue, police said.

A passing car disturbed the rapist, and the woman was able to escape.

She was found by a Royal Parks Constabulary officer on West Carriage Drive about 5am.

DS Byron Thorne, from Westminster's Operation Sapphire, said police urgently needed information about the attack.

"This was a particularly brutal attack and rape, the victim appears to have been chosen by the attacker just by chance."

Although it was early in the morning, there would have been cars driving through the park, and other people about, he said.

The suspect was described as a black male, aged between 23 and 25 years old. He is approximately 5'10" tall, of medium build, clean shaven with short dark hair. He was wearing a beige sweater and three quarter length jacket with a pocket on either side of the front.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 020 7321 9705, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.