Notting Hill Rapist

Notting Hill Rapist

Women living alone in Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove areas of west London locked their doors and windows each night in fear. A savage rapist, who committed brutal attacks at knifepoint, was on the loose. Police knew that he had to be caught before his assaults turned to murder.

It was late at night on 12 August 1982 when the woman who was to become the Notting Hill Rapist's first victim arrived home from an evening out with friends. She was a successful solicitor and lived in a comfortable flat in Clarendon Road, one of the wealthier streets in the west London district of Notting Hill.

She let herself in through the front door and turned on the light. It didn't work. A rough hand grabbed her throat, and a rasping voice warned her not to scream. The intruder dragged the woman down the hallway into her flat and began to assault her. She was terrified, but managed to kick out at her attacker, who swore at her, then fled.