Hallam second year attacked on her way home from uni
‘I just haven’t felt up to leaving the house’
Daisy CollingwoodA Hallam second year was attacked on Cemetery Road on her way home from lectures last week.
Louise Dance was walking towards the junction of Washington Road and Summerfield Street when the attack took place at around 6.30pm on Monday 2nd November.
She says an unknown man approached her and grabbed her arm.
After she pulled her arm free, the man is said to have grabbed her arm again, causing minor injuries.
She then pulled free and ran away.
The junction on Cemetery Road
The suspect is believed to be white, in his 20s, and wearing dark framed glasses and a red hooded top.
Louise, a Food and Nutrition student, told The Tab: “It happened around 6.30pm on Monday evening, I was just walking back from my last lecture of the day.
“I made sure I was following someone as I went under the underpass as you always feel safer that way.
“As I got to the Chinese Fireworks shop on London Road, he went the other way and I turned down Cemetery Road.
“I saw someone in the corner of my eye come out from the car park by the flats, he grabbed my left arm and so I quickly pushed my arm down and pulled away.
“He then grabbed me and pulled me by my left arm again, but i felt something sharp and cold touch down my side.
“I managed to pull free and leg it across the road, where I ran home.”
Louise’s top had been ripped
Her assailant had ripper her top and bra down the side: “I had cuts down my left side on my ribs.
“Everything’s a blur, but I felt what must have been a knife or a sharp blade, I also have nail marks too.
“All I remember is he had a red hoody on, glasses and about six foot, medium build.
“I got home and my legs felt like jelly, I thought I was going to be sick.
“I had tears streaming down my face and felt like I couldn’t breathe.
She also had nail marks down her side
“Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and it’s really disheartening.
“You think when you walk back from uni you’ll be safe, there’s children who live on that road and people everywhere at that time.
“I couldn’t make it into uni afterwards, I just haven’t felt up to leaving the house.”
South Yorkshire police have confirmed they are carrying out enquiries following the incident.
A spokesperson said: “The victim in this case was thankfully not seriously injured but left very shaken.
“We are working hard to identify the person responsible and would urge anyone with information to come forward.”
Did you witness the assault or any suspicious activity in the area at the time?
Please call 101 or email [email protected] quoting incident number 1010 of 2 November 2015.