Woman escapes riverside assault by man with knife

Derbyshire Police has appealed to a number of members of the public in the vicinity at the time of the assault to contact them

A man carrying a knife approached a woman from behind before assaulting her along a riverside path in Derby.

The victim, a woman in her 20s, was grabbed and threatened by the man off Riverside Road, Pride Park, on Monday at about 08:40 GMT.

The woman managed to get away uninjured following a struggle, whilst the perpetrator ran off in the direction of the city centre, Derbyshire Police said.

The attacker was a white man, aged in his late 20s, about 5ft 7in (170cm) tall, with a skinny build and ginger to blond hair, the force added.

He had a pale face with red marks and blue eyes and was wearing a navy blue coloured coat with black jogging bottoms with white stripes on them.

The force has appealed to a number of other members of the public in the vicinity at the time of the assault to contact them.

A spokesperson said: "We understand an incident of this nature may cause concern and officers will be conducting additional patrols in the area for community reassurance."