Police are searching for a man after a pregnant woman was assaulted on a street in Stamford Hill, north London. The attack occurred on Manor Road at around 18:30 GMT on Thursday, 18 March, with officers called shortly after 19:00.
CCTV footage posted by the Jewish security group Shomrim shows the woman being followed down a side street before a man placed a pillow case or cloth over her head. He then punched her in the stomach several times and fled the scene.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 20-year-old woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Shomrim stated she was 27 or 28 weeks pregnant and has been left 'deeply traumatised'. Rabbi Herschel Gluck, Shomrim president, described the attack as 'violent and brutal' and said the victim was followed for over a mile.
Rabbi Gluck called for safety measures for women and girls in the area, noting seven similar incidents against Jewish women in the past month. However, police have not yet established a motive or determined if this was a hate crime. They are aware of similar incidents but are not currently linking them. No arrests have been made.
