A woman in her 20s suffered a serious leg injury in an attack by a man who followed her off a bus before snatching her phone.
The woman was walking home alone near Ravenside Retail Park in Edmonton, north London, when the “cowardly” attack happened around 11.30pm on December 23.
Police on Friday released images of a man they are trying to trace.
The victim noticed a man staring at her through a bus shelter in Walthamstow Market as she boarded a service heading home on December 23, said the Met police.
The man then also got on the same bus and attempted to strike up conversation with the woman, but she did not respond.
After she got off the bus near Ravenside Retail Park, the man followed her.
"As she walked towards a bridge that crosses a dual carriageway by the retail park, the man put his arm around her shoulders and then snatched her phone from her hand before running off," said a Met police spokesperson on Friday
The woman suffered a serious leg injury, which required hospital treatment.
Detective Constable Charlotte Joseph, from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, leads the investigation and said: “Not only did the woman need hospital treatment following this incident but robbery is a horrible crime that can leave a lasting impact on victims.
“We have been working hard to identify this man but to no avail so we are releasing his image to the public in the hope that someone recognises him.
“This was a cowardly act, targeting a lone woman as she walked home. Please help us identify the person responsible so he can be held to account for his actions.”
Anyone who recognises the man in these pictures or has any information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD 7526/23Dec23.
