Crimewatch Live: Harpenden sex assaults in 2002 are linked to third case

Hertfordshire Police has produced an e-fit of the man suspected of carrying out the attacks

A woman who was sexually assaulted 21 years ago as a teenager said she still had "a black cloud hanging over her".

The BBC's Crimewatch Live heard she was forced into a car in Harpenden in June 2002, aged 17.

Hertfordshire Police, which has linked her case to another in the town two months earlier, said a third offence in 2004 could also now be related.

Officers have issued a fresh appeal for information as they look to track down the offender.

The programme ran an appeal on Wednesday detailing all three cases, with witnesses still being sought.

The victim said she would "love to say it had no effect" on her, but "it's always there".

It was at about 19:00 BST on 19 June 2002 that the girl, who is now in her 30s, was forced into a car by a man while walking along Wheathampstead Road.

The car was believed to have been a red M-registration vehicle of a similar size to a Vauxhall Corsa.

She was driven down Piggottshill Lane to a wood, where she was then forced to perform sexual acts.

The offender was wearing shiny blue tracksuit bottoms with red piping down the side.

The force said it was keen to trace a man on a bicycle who cycled past the small parked red car.

Charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information

Recalling the long-lasting impact of what had happened to her, the victim said she went on a "path of self-destruction that lasted seven to eight years" and she still struggled every day.

"I became a master at disguising how I felt inside and was able to put a front on, even though internally I was completely broken," she said.

"I'd binge drink, self-harm, push people away when they were getting too close. I hated myself and those around me.

"I'd love to say it has no effect at all, but deep down it's always there - like a black cloud hanging over me."

'Face new struggles daily'

She has since moved away from the town as it held "too many unhappy memories" and she still had episodes of "self-harm and self-loathing".

"I face new struggles daily. Bringing up children with the violent act I have endured is not easy," she said.

"It has made me build a wall around myself and my family and no-one is allowed to enter."

Detectives have linked this attack with one in April 2002.

The first two attacks took place in the Piggottshill Lane area of Harpenden

Then, a 16-year-old girl was grabbed from Piggottshill Lane, between 17:30 and 17:40 on 7 April, and dragged into a nearby field, where a similar assault took place.

It is thought the man used a silver Vauxhall Astra with a C or D registration.

Hertfordshire Police said they wanted to trace a man and a boy - aged about 10 at the time. They may have been carrying fishing rods and would have seen the victim on Piggottshill Lane on her way to her friend's house, between 16:00 and 16:30, and could have seen a silver vehicle.

The suspect in both attacks was described as having tanned or dark skin, between 5ft 7in (170cms) and 5ft 9in (175cms) tall, with dark hair and aged in his late 30s.

Det Insp Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: "We have forensically linked the two offences from DNA evidence, but he is not on our database - so all we need is a name.

"Any information you can give us is just as important now as it was then. Do not hesitate to get in contact if you think you can help."

In a new development, officers now suspect a third attempted abduction in March 2004, which involved a 12-year-old girl, was committed by the same man.

She was walking down Greenway in Harpenden just after 18:00 on 17 March when she was grabbed from behind by a man with a knife and dragged into a public footpath, known locally as the Spinney.

The man threatened and restrained the girl, before a woman intervened and he ran off.

Det Insp Justine Jenkins, added: "Although the offences happened such a long time ago - 19 and 21 years ago - the impact of these crimes has had a lasting and devastating impact on these women, and they have never had closure on their terrifying ordeals."

Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information.

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