Police appeal over travelling rapist

Police yesterday issued a nationwide appeal to trace a sadistic serial rapist known to have struck at least five times in 13 years.

The travelling attacker (seen left in a photofit picture) is wanted for four rapes and one sex assault which have taken place in West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire since 1982. In all five attacks lone women were abducted at knifepoint from a city-centre car park or street parking, driven by the attacker in their own cars away from the city centre, raped or sexually abused and then taken back to the same inner city area and abandoned. West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Constable Lloyd Clarke, in charge of Operation Lynx - which featured on Crimewatch UK on BBC1 last night - said detectives fear the man will strike again. "We are dealing with someone who is cool and sadistic," he said. The man is white and at least 35. He speaks with a Scottish accent, uses the words "lass" or "lassie" and re-emphasises his commands by saying: "Do you hear me?"