A passer-by who prevented an attack on a young woman in Norwich from being even worse has been urged to make contact with the detectives hunting for the man he scared off.
The woman, in her late teens, was attacked in Carrow Hill, off Bracondale, as she walked to work at about 5.25am on Saturday.
A man had started to follow her as she walked along Queens Road. The man repeatedly made what Norfolk police described as 'inappropriate comments'.
At Carrow Hill, the man grabbed the woman and tried to pull her off the pavement and into a driveway.
But a man who was nearby intervened and the suspect fled the scene. The woman was not hurt and police have praised the passer-by for preventing 'a more serious attack'.
However, the passer-by, who made sure the woman was okay before he left the scene, has not been in contact with police. And they say he could hold crucial information which could help them catch the woman's attacker.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Eleanor Bull said: 'The intervention of the passer-by has no doubt prevented a more serious attack from happening and we would really like this man to come forward as he could have important witness information.'
The suspect is described as black, aged over 30 and wearing a light coloured polo shirt.
Keith Driver, Labour city councillor for the Lakenham ward, in which the attack happened, said he was shocked at the nature of the attack and called on the passer-by to call the police.
He said: 'It is shocking that something like that could happen on a main road in Norwich. Even at 5.30am in the morning, there would have been cars going past, so I hope somebody has seen something and calls the police.
'The passer-by deserves credit, because some people would not have got involved and what he's done has stopped something awful being even more serious.
'I'd urge him to get in touch with the police, because he could have really useful information.' Mr Driver, a former Lord Mayor of Norwich, said, although some parts of the area around Carrow Hill did have some issues with anti-social behaviour, he was surprised at the attack.
He said: 'I think Norwich is, generally, a safe city and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.'
Police are keen to hear from anyone who saw what happened, or who may have seen a man matching the description of the suspect in the area at around the time of the attack.
Anyone with information should contact DC Bull at Bethel Street Police Station on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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