Women heading to London's bars and clubs are warned serial rapist is 'clearly' ... trends now
Women heading to London's bars and clubs have been warned a serial rapist is 'clearly' targeting lone victims on their way home.
The attacker is being hunted by the Metropolitan Police over the rapes of two women four years apart as they walked the streets of the capital in busy nightlife hotspots.
Horrifying CCTV footage of the second attack, released by the force and reissued today, shows a man grabbing a lone woman in the street, who he later raped in Shoreditch, east London in 2022.
The same suspect is believed to have raped another victim four years earlier on the other side of the capital near The Strand.
The case has chilling echoes of the 'Night Bus Beast' who detectives fear may have preyed on 100 female passengers, many as they made their way home alone.
Scotland Yard took the unusual step of publicly linking the two rapes, and releasing footage of the suspect on the prowl, as detectives fear it is 'highly likely' there are more victims.
The detective leading the probe today issued the chilling warning to women in busy London hotspots where they should feel safe that the suspect involved in both incidents 'appears to target lone women in the night time economy'.
It came as Norman Brennan, a former London police officer and knife crime campaigner, told MailOnline the suspect is 'clearly taking advantage' of victims when they are alone and vulnerable, sparking fears more could be targeted in the coming days and weeks.
He is then seen stroking her back inappropriately on a dark street
A map shows where the two rapes took place in the capital
In the shocking clip, a man can be seen grabbing a woman in Shoreditch
He said: 'There are so few police about now that we as a nation don't feel safe and when a woman is walking home alone in the early hours - when there aren't many pedestrians about - they are very, very vulnerable.
'This individual is clearly taking advantage of it. He is a dangerous man. He needs to be arrested and convicted.
'Whatever views the people have of the police - they don't always get it right, but they mostly do. If we actually worked closer with them and supported them then people like this individual are more likely to be arrested and convicted.
'Some people have lost faith in the police; I understand their concerns but that is never the right thig to do.
'The majority of police are outstanding officers, and they want people like this individual off the street because it is one less dangerous rapist that won't put people at risk.'
The Met has reissued its appeal, including footage of the second rape victim being grabbed on Curtain Road, Shoreditch in 2022, as part of its efforts to catch the predator.
In the sickening video, the man is seen locking his arm with the woman's as he walks her down the dark street.
Shortly after, the woman pulls their arms apart and takes a step backwards so her back is to a fence.
The suspect then opens his jacket as he moves forward, wraps his arms around the victim and turns her body.
Campaigners from women's social justice organisation, Reclaim These Streets, told MailOnline the Met's response to the predator was 'two years too late'.
Co-founder Jamie Klingler said: 'So, two years after the last heinous predatory attack that was captured on CCTV, the women of London are being told that a serial rapist is on the loose for six years and finally releasing a suspect's picture.
'And this is supposed to what? Make us feel like the
