Transport police want to question a man in connection with a serious sexual assault.
A white man, described as between 18 and 25, attacked a woman as she left a toilet cubicle at Wickford train station.
The woman, in her late 20s, managed to fight the man off and was left shaken but uninjured, after he confronted her at the station in Station Avenue.
A British Transport Police spokesman said: "The woman was trained in self-defence but if she had frozen like many women would have she would have been in trouble.
"We believe this man had a sexual motive and we are concerned about him because he failed this time.
"We want to catch him before it happens again."
The man, said to be around 5ft 8in to 10in tall, with short dark hair, wearing a white/grey hooded top and jeans, was carrying a smart-looking DJ style bag over his shoulder.
Police believe he has good local knowledge and have CCTV footage placing him at the station for some time before the attack.
The spokesman said: "This happened at around 6pm when there were lots of people around. "If he is prepared to do this at that time where he may try again is difficult to say.
"We would like to catch him before he gets the chance."
Police believe the man may have been a student and said the woman is a regular user of the station.
Anyone with information about the incident on May 22 should call 0207 3915275.
Published Monday, June 9, 2003
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