A woman was attacked at knifepoint while walking her dog in Chingford, Scotland Yard has said.
Officers received a report that between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on Monday a man approached a 25-year-old woman while she was walking down an alleyway beneath Ridgeway Park in north-east London.
The man cut her clothes with a knife, banged her head against a wall and kicked her dog as he attempted to sexually assault her, police said.
The woman fought back and the suspect fled along the alley towards Chingford Avenue.
She has described the suspect as white, over 6ft tall, of slim build with bright blue eyes and brown eyebrows.
He was wearing a black beanie hat, black pullover, grey shorts, black latex gloves and a black face mask.
Detective Inspector Jeremy McDermott, leading the investigation, said: “This was a cowardly attack by someone who was intent on hurting this woman, who had never seen him before. Despite the heart-stopping circumstances, she managed to fight back and force him to run away.
“Understandably, this incident is going to cause concern in the local community but please know that we are doing everything we can to find out who is responsible so we can hold them to account.
"However, we also need the public’s help. If you witnessed anything at all in the Ridgeway Park area, or the roads around the area, please get in contact. If you have CCTV of the area, I’d like to hear from you. No matter how small or insignificant you think it might be, please contact my team.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and released on bail to a date in August.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD5360/20JUL20, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
