Scotland Yard has launched a witness appeal after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in broad daylight near to the Tate Modern by a man suspected of wearing a tail like a fox.
The suspected assault happened shortly after midday on July 15, at the junction of Holland Street and Sumner Street by the art gallery.
A man – said to have had “an animal tail, like a fox tail” hanging out the back of his trousers – is alleged to have approached the victim, aged in her twenties, at the junction and attempted to pull down her trousers.
When she resisted, he reportedly then bent down and tried to pick her up by grabbing her legs.
Two passers-by, a man and a woman, rushed to her aid and the suspect calmly walked away in the direction of Sumner Street, said police.
He is described as being tall, white, in his thirties, with long, blonde hair, possibly in a ponytail.
He was wearing navy cargo trousers and a dark coloured top, and was described as having a distinctive animal tail, like a fox tail, hanging out from the back of, or attached to, his trousers.
Police are treating it as an isolated incident.
The Met’s Detective Constable Nick Heywood said: “Thankfully the woman targeted by the suspect was not physically harmed, but this assault has nonetheless and unsurprisingly left her shaken.
“I am confident the suspect would have stood out at that time of day in an area predominantly populated by workers from local businesses who were on their lunch break.
“I am keen to speak to the two people who came to the woman’s aid, as they may hold information that could progress this investigation.”
The Good Samaritans who rushed to the victim’s aid are described as Spanish speaking and aged in their 50s.
The man had short, greyish hair and was wearing glasses, and the woman had short, curly hair.
There have been no arrests, and police investigations to track down the suspect are continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact officers on the Central South Command Unit on 101 and quote CAD 4034/15July.
Crimestoppers can be contacted completely anonymously on 0800 555 111.