Police are appealing for information following the sexual assault of a 19 year old woman in Rose Hill, close to the Cowley Road area, late last Friday night. She was reportedly paying a visit to the shops on Asquith Road, before she was dragged to an open area in the vicinity and attacked.
The investigation is being led by Detective Inspector Steve Duffy who commented, “We are still at the very early stages of this investigation but we would urge anyone who saw anything that could be connected to this attack to come forward.”
The man suspected of committing the assault has been described as black, medium build and 5ft 6ins tall. He was also said to be dressed in all white clothing. Inspector Duffy added, “We would also encourage anyone who matches this description, or anyone who has seen someone arrive home last night wearing this very distinctive clothing, to come forward so that they can be elimi- nated from this inquiry.”
The attack follows a spate of similar incidents in the area last term in which five sexual assaults occurred in the space of eight days. Cowley Road is home to many Oxford students, making sexual crime a worry for some.
Lucy Marriott, Women’s Welfare Officer at Regent’s Park College said, “I am obviously quite concerned about incidents such as these, especially with people living out of college this year, and having to walk long distances late at night.
“I would suggest that all girls living out are cautious after dark and try to be accompanied whenever possible. I would also suggest that the university look into the policy of handing out free rape alarms to female students.”
However, not all students were as concerned by the risks. One female undergraduate said, “The fact that there has been a more recent attack makes me wonder if I should be more careful, but I really doubt I’d change my routine or actions. I feel pretty safe on my bike at most times of the day or night – I’d be far more concerned about this if I tended to walk anywhere. I think pretty much everyone at Oxford knows that parts of Cowley can be a bit dodgy, but I’m probably more worried about my bike being stolen most of the time.”
Another student agreed saying, “I don’t think [this attack] makes living out unsafe … it’s not necessarily more unsafe than college and the in- dividual chances of attack are low.”
Yuan Yang, Vice President for Women at OUSU, disagreed that sexual crime was relatively uncommon, stating, “The National Union of Students recently reported that 1 in 7 female students have experienced rape or attempted rape while at university. Sexual violence is more prevalent than we realise.”
Yang added, “Students have the right to feel safe and confident walking around Oxford at night … this is why I continue to campaign on better prevention and awareness-raising within the University.”
Another incident, in which the vic- tim was a 20 year old woman was assaulted, occurred this week in Bravissimo on Broad Street. The woman was approached by a man who began talking to her and then proceeded to grab and grope her. Police are appealing for help with their investigations, but PC Ria Kumar, who is investigating the case assured the public that “this appears to have been an isolated incident. We are working closely with the store and following a number of lines of enquiry, including reviewing CCTV.”
The investigation is being led by Detective Inspector Steve Duffy who commented, “We are still at the very early stages of this investigation but we would urge anyone who saw anything that could be connected to this attack to come forward.”
The man suspected of committing the assault has been described as black, medium build and 5ft 6ins tall. He was also said to be dressed in all white clothing. Inspector Duffy added, “We would also encourage anyone who matches this description, or anyone who has seen someone arrive home last night wearing this very distinctive clothing, to come forward so that they can be elimi- nated from this inquiry.”
The attack follows a spate of similar incidents in the area last term in which five sexual assaults occurred in the space of eight days. Cowley Road is home to many Oxford students, making sexual crime a worry for some.
Lucy Marriott, Women’s Welfare Officer at Regent’s Park College said, “I am obviously quite concerned about incidents such as these, especially with people living out of college this year, and having to walk long distances late at night.
“I would suggest that all girls living out are cautious after dark and try to be accompanied whenever possible. I would also suggest that the university look into the policy of handing out free rape alarms to female students.”
However, not all students were as concerned by the risks. One female undergraduate said, “The fact that there has been a more recent attack makes me wonder if I should be more careful, but I really doubt I’d change my routine or actions. I feel pretty safe on my bike at most times of the day or night – I’d be far more concerned about this if I tended to walk anywhere. I think pretty much everyone at Oxford knows that parts of Cowley can be a bit dodgy, but I’m probably more worried about my bike being stolen most of the time.”
Another student agreed saying, “I don’t think [this attack] makes living out unsafe … it’s not necessarily more unsafe than college and the in- dividual chances of attack are low.”
Yuan Yang, Vice President for Women at OUSU, disagreed that sexual crime was relatively uncommon, stating, “The National Union of Students recently reported that 1 in 7 female students have experienced rape or attempted rape while at university. Sexual violence is more prevalent than we realise.”
Yang added, “Students have the right to feel safe and confident walking around Oxford at night … this is why I continue to campaign on better prevention and awareness-raising within the University.”
Another incident, in which the vic- tim was a 20 year old woman was assaulted, occurred this week in Bravissimo on Broad Street. The woman was approached by a man who began talking to her and then proceeded to grab and grope her. Police are appealing for help with their investigations, but PC Ria Kumar, who is investigating the case assured the public that “this appears to have been an isolated incident. We are working closely with the store and following a number of lines of enquiry, including reviewing CCTV.”
