An Edinburgh woman has been left petrified after being 'punched' in a broad daylight by a stranger who is believed to have attacked at least one other victim.
The lady, who does not want to be named for safety reasons, said she was hit by the "tall man" on Canning Street in the West End of the city for no apparent reason.
She told how she was walking to get the tram after work when a red-haired man walking in the opposite direction attacked her before a stranger stepped in.
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The 39-year-old was left afraid after seeing similar incidents online and thinks it could have been a lot worse if the passer-by wasn't there to help.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live she said: "It was Tuesday afternoon when I was walking from work to the tram stop at Shandwick Place.
"He just punched me hard in the arm as I walked past him and was swearing at me. Thankfully a man intervened and asked if I was ok.
"The guy then walked away but reading other accounts I think probably him intervening stopped him from hitting me again as he was very intimidating.
"I literally just walked past him that was all and he just punched me as I walked past him. It was completely out of the blue, he was definitely high on drugs.
"This was in broad daylight and at 4pm - He was walking the opposite direction to me."
The terrified woman continued: "I'm absolutely horrified. I’m hoping with all the social media coverage that he will get caught as soon as possible."
She explained the individual was "tall" with "reddish hair" and had a beard and moustache.
Adding: "He looked a bit scruffy. As soon as he hit me and started swearing I could tell something wasn’t right and he was clearly high.
"He also stank of cannabis."
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Edinburgh Live understands that Police Scotland will visit and interview the victim on Friday morning regarding the attack.
The incident took place just a week after a man fitting the same description reportedly attacked another woman on Coffin Lane in Dalry.
A Police Scotland spokespersons said: “We can confirm that enquiries are ongoing into the report of a man assaulting a woman in the Coffin Lane area of Edinburgh, which took place around 1pm on Tuesday, 15 March.”
