Another vicious Bonavalley assault

A young woman is this week recovering after a serious assault during the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday) morning on the Dublin Road. The 19-year-old woman was walking from town in the direction of the Dublin Road when she was approached from behind by one male and attacked. The assault occurred near the Bonavalley Bridge area at about 2.30am yesterday morning. Supt Aidan Glacken of Athlone Garda Station said yesterday afternoon: 'It"s in the early stages of the investigation at the moment. Whether or not it is linked to the three attacks last year we don"t know yet. We"re not ruling it out at this stage.' He would not be drawn on whether the woman was sexually assaulted. Supt Glacken did say, however, that the assault was of a serious nature, but the young woman was not hospitalised after the attack. The man was wearing black clothing. He is believed to be a young, white male. It is understood the young woman is a student at Athlone Institute of Technology, which is this week holding Freshers" Week for first year students at the college. AIT would not comment on the speculation yesterday that the woman was a student at the college, saying simply that the assault was subject to a Garda investigation. Gardai have not yet ruled out a link between this attack and three brutal attacks on women in the same area of town between August and October of last year. The first attack on a woman on Bonavalley Bridge occurred on August 12 last year during the early hours of a Sunday morning, with the second attack happening during the early hours of Sunday, September 23, and the third attack occurring between 9pm and 10pm on Wednesday, October 3. All three attacks were similar in nature and it is understood the women were attacked from behind and grabbed around the neck and shoulder area. Two photofits of the suspect were released by gardai last year, the most recent one showing a man with slicked-back dark hair, bushy eyebrows and a long nose. Gardai are appealing for information in relation to this week"s attack and have appealed for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the Bonavalley Bridge area or along the Dublin Road during the early hours of Tuesday morning to contact Athlone Garda Station on 090 6492609. Both the Gardai and the Students Union at Athlone Institute of Technology are this week urging members of the public to be vigilant and safety conscious in light of yesterday"s early morning attack. Supt Aidan Glacken urged the public to be conscious of their own safety and not to walk alone. AIT Student Union President Michael Fogarty also appealed to students to be careful and said there were posters around the college warning students not to walk alone. He stressed that charm alarms were also available on campus this year. Urging students not to walk alone, he said: 'We can"t allow this to happen again.' Mr Fogarty added that the union was in touch with the Gardai and a community officer would give a safety talk to students. The man who attacked the three women last year and the man who attacked the young woman on Tuesday morning all preyed on women walking alone at night or during the early hours of the morning, all of them walking away from town in the direction of the Dublin Road. The first two attacks last year, both of which were on a Sunday, and this week"s attack all occurred during the early hours of the morning, while the third attack last year, on October 3, occurred on a Wednesday between 9pm and 10pm. The four women were all attacked from behind and dragged to secluded areas in the vicinity of Bonavalley Bridge before being subjected to serious assaults. Anybody with any information in relation to yesterday morning"s attack or any of the three attacks last year can contact Athlone Garda Station on 090 6492609.