Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Update on Recent Assaults in Harringay
Chief Inspector Jon Williams has just sent me the following update on the recent incidents involving women being attacked:
The Met Police Specialist Crime Directorate continues to investigate two serious incidents that occurred against women in the area known as the Harringay Ladder towards the end of 2009.
There is currently no evidence to indicate that the incidents are linked, however detectives are keeping an open mind on this point. Three arrests have been made during the course of the investigations.
On Saturday 21 November 2009 between about 4.40am and 5.30am a woman in her 30s had got off a N29 bus and was walking along Pemberton Road, N4 when she was grabbed from behind by a man who then raped her.
Two 17 year-old males were arrested in connection with this offence. One has been released without charge, the other has been bailed to return to police in March 2010.
On Tuesday 15 December 2009 at about 7am a woman in her 20’s had got off a N29 bus and was walking along Mattison Road N4 when she was forced to the ground and raped.
A man in his 20’s was arrested in connection with this offence and has subsequently been eliminated in relation to this matter.
Enquiries are ongoing, officers are determined to apprehend whoever is responsible.
The following support is available:
Police offer the following personal safety advice:
If you have information that could help the police investigation, please call the Police Incident Room on 020 8358 0300.
If you would rather not talk to police, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to remain anonymous. Crimestoppers is an independent charity.#
The Met Police Specialist Crime Directorate continues to investigate two serious incidents that occurred against women in the area known as the Harringay Ladder towards the end of 2009.
There is currently no evidence to indicate that the incidents are linked, however detectives are keeping an open mind on this point. Three arrests have been made during the course of the investigations.
On Saturday 21 November 2009 between about 4.40am and 5.30am a woman in her 30s had got off a N29 bus and was walking along Pemberton Road, N4 when she was grabbed from behind by a man who then raped her.
Two 17 year-old males were arrested in connection with this offence. One has been released without charge, the other has been bailed to return to police in March 2010.
On Tuesday 15 December 2009 at about 7am a woman in her 20’s had got off a N29 bus and was walking along Mattison Road N4 when she was forced to the ground and raped.
A man in his 20’s was arrested in connection with this offence and has subsequently been eliminated in relation to this matter.
Enquiries are ongoing, officers are determined to apprehend whoever is responsible.
The following support is available:
- Extra visible police patrols and plain clothes officers are being made available in the area. The Core Response Team is also on alert
- Free personal safety alarms are available immediately from the Harringey Safer Neighbourhoods Team on 020 8721 2677
- Personal Safety classes will run every Tuesday in February at the Kurdish Community Centre, Portland Gardens, N4. Contact the St. Ann’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team for more information on: 07920 233 794 or stanns.snt@met.police.uk
- Involvement in local Neighbourhood Watch schemes is being promoted. Contact Pauline Syddell if you want further information on: 07766 163 561
Police offer the following personal safety advice:
- Be alert if travelling late at night or in the early morning. Book a cab to take you safely door to door. Cabwise offers a text service which provides local minicab numbers and one taxi (black cab) number by texting >CAB= to 60835. (Texts are charged at 35p per enquiry plus standard text message rate. Visit tfl.gov.uk/cabwise for more information)
- Try to avoid being out alone in quiet, unlit or deserted places.
- Keep your mind on your surroundings - remember if you are wearing a personal stereo or talking on your mobile phone you will not hear trouble approaching. Try to keep both hands free and don’t walk with your hands in your pockets.
- If you think you are being followed, trust your instincts and take action. As confidently as you can, cross the road or change direction, turning to see who is behind you. If you are still being followed, keep moving. Make for a busy area and tell people what is happening.
- Beware of anyone who warns you of the danger of walking alone or tries to engage you in conversation as an excuse to accompany you. If you are concerned call the police on 999
If you have information that could help the police investigation, please call the Police Incident Room on 020 8358 0300.
If you would rather not talk to police, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to remain anonymous. Crimestoppers is an independent charity.#
Tags for Forum Posts: rape
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Lady Cabs of Archway (020 7272 3300) provide an excellent service in the Islington/Camden/Haringey area.
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Permalink Reply by Sapphireblue on
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This is fine as far as it goes but where's the description of the attackers - the Hornsey Journal (17/12/09) gives a description for the first attack obtained from the police as 'black, about 25 years old of average build and about 5' 6" tall'. This does not tally with the above statement. Surely both women were able to give descriptions? If they don't tally then there are two rapists out there? Would it not be helpful to have a description if they do tally? Why are we being kept in the dark like this - its very patronising?
The main point is that both happened in the early hours to young women who had got off the 29 bus and were obviously followed up a ladder road. So warn your sisters, daughters, friends!
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Does a description as vague as the one from the HJ help? If it fits a large number of people, 99.999% of whom will be completely innocent, I'm not sure it does.
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Permalink Reply by KP on
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Really alarming that these people haven't been found. So they are probably still out there waiting to attack someone else. Why is it you never see police patrolling the area. I do think the council need to take a much tougher approach to crime in this area, petty crime and more serious ones like this
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To be fair to the Police, I have seen an noticeable increase of police doing patrols at a variety of times of the day on the ladder roads (well, Effingham at least).
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Yes Andy, they've probably even stepped in some dog shit in the passage the way they're making eye contact, smiling and saying hello.
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Why is it you never see police patrolling the area
Wrong, you see them a lot if you get out and about. And I'm not talking about roaring up and down Green Lanes in a car either.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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I can vouch for seeing a few more coppers out there recently and there are going up and down the Ladder roads and the passage.
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In your opinion, the poor girls was raped by the same man?
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Permalink Reply by ElleCarumba on
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the description in the HJ said 25, the people they arrested were 17. That isn't a huge difference.
I don't think I'd feel any safer knowing what the description of the attackers was (given that unless they have some particularly identifying marks on them, I won't be able to tell them from any other young man) but it is useful to have it confirmed that it looks like the women were followed from the bus stop. That will make me much more wary of other when getting off the bus whether they are 17 or 70.
It is easy to be complacent when you are tired, getting off the bus and are on the home stretch. I read somewhere (and I have no idea if it is true) that women are more likely to be attacked within a couple of minutes walk from their home because they let their guard down as they approach home.
Also the police may be limited in what they can tell the public - they would not want to risk prejudicing a case/contempt of court and having a rape prosecution thrown out because of it.
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I have not seen any police walking in Mattison Road at the times when I am out, which is relatively close to the times that it happened. But I have seen some walking down the passage in the bright daylight. Well, I am not using the passage any more since the rapes.
Also there are broken street lights on Mattison Road, which we have reported and that are just not getting fixed. I don't think that's helpful.
I guess it's important to be alert and ready to fight, i.e. if it's too late for avoiding or escaping, to react aggressively and dominant rather than shocked or scared and also to be willing to hurt the other if necessary.
I also hope that residents listen out for what's going on out on the street a bit more and are quicker in getting involved and help, if they think something might be wrong.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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Thanks for bringing the broken street lights in Mattison Road to my attention - I will get on to the council to get them fixed. I will e-mail them now to get the ball rolling but if you are able to give nearest house numbers (or better still the lamp post ID numbers) that would be really useful.
Cllr Karen Alexander
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