WOMEN ACCOSTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26625, 22 November 1947, Page 6

WOMEN ACCOSTED

JUBILEE PARK INCIDENTS MASKED MAN BRANDISHES KNIFE The terrifying ordeal of being confronted by a masked man who held a knife in menacing fashion was experienced by a woman who was walking through Jubilee Park late yesterday morning. The man sprang out from some undergrowth beside a track leading through the park and approached the woman in a threatening manner. He came to within a few feet of her but, apparently alarmed by her piercing screams, turned and disappeared as suddenly as he had come. Shock and the speed with which the incident occurred made it difficult for the woman later to give a comprehensive description of her assailant, but she informed the police that he appeared to be about sft Bin in height and was wearing a khaki uniform of some kind. He wore a felt hat pulled down low over his eyes and the lower part of his face was concealed by a scarf or handkerchief. The woman said that she could not guess at the man’s age. Speedy. Disappearance The cries of the terrified woman caused a near-by householder, who was working in his garden, to run to the scene, but by the time hq had arrived, the man had gone. A woman who was walking down the track some distance behind the first woman saw no sign of the man who caused the disturbance. Immediately the incident was reported two police cars carrying detectives and uniformed officers went to the spot and the police unsuccessfully combed the area for the man. Inquiries are still proceeding. Another incident in the Jubilee Park' area was reported to the Daily Times by a correspondent yesterday. He stated that, recently, his 18-year-old daughter was returning through the park to her work when she was accosted by a young man who would not allow her to pass. He was carrying a spanner and the girl feared an attack, but was able to make her escape when two other men appeared on the scene. Allegation Denied The correspondent alleged that, when he rang the police station, little notice was taken of his story and he was told to inform the police if such an incident occurred again. When the letter was referred to the police by the Daily Times it was emphatically stated that such complaints were investigated with the utmost despatch and there was no record of this complaint having been made. The inspector on duty stated that more good would be done by a statement to the police than a letter to a newspaper. Another serious incident was reported on Tuesday night when a young woman was attacked by a youth on the track between Mussel Bay and Sawyers’ Bay. It is alleged that a youth caught her by the throat, pushed her off the track, and slapped her face. The arrival of another man on the scene frightened him and he made off. '