The guy who drives around in a battered green van - does the van have something about pipes or piping written on the side? ie. looks like a van that once belonged to a company. i got followed by a van like that late one night coming back from work round Denmark Hill area : very scary.

Bonnie Blue - Perhaps you should read the news articles again. They're not something to be taken lightly.

"The man has been described as a "gerontophile" - someone who enjoys sexual activity with the elderly. His victims have been aged 68 to 93, with an average age in the 80s. One, an 88-year-old woman, was raped twice - her bowel was perforated and she almost died.
The man is thought to be responsible for four rapes and 24 other sexual assaults during 98 break-ins in London since 1990. The attacker wears an all-in-one black suit and often removes light bulbs, cuts telephone wires and turns off the power after breaking into victims' homes."
This isn't a case of 'he's a little man - i can handle him if he trys anything'. You don't know who the man is, and if he goes to the trouble of cutting telephone wires, turning off your fuse box and removing light bulbs (just like a scene from a film) - that is someone who is extremely determined to complete what they set out to do.
So yes, he may not kill or maim, and people may well live to tell the tale, but thats no excuse for not being extra vigilant. Your man in the dodgy van may be harmless but you never really know, and until the police, and only the police, eliminate him from their enquiries, you can never truly feel safe.

Psyche - I'm not sure It looks as though it is used for sleeping in It is a murky green and the size of a builders van but with windows. Don't think it is actually roadworthy atm because i saw him go past on his bike yesterday and the van hasn't been moved for a couple of weeks at least

Kaz
There are thousands and thousands of weird men (and weird women - think Rose West) who all do the things this one does You simply don't know where they are The hysteria about this is all because he is alleged to live in HOP but he may live somewhere completely different and just visit. Look at the Yorkshire Ripper He was up and down the country in a lorry
I have already been attacked once in my life and I am always aware but I will not get involved in the drama You must make your own arrangements but don't project your fears onto me

Wish I had never mentioned the blinking van

BB, I think what Roz is trying to say is that the behavior of the man who approached you is odd and given we have a serial attacker in our midst telling the police about it is a good thing to do.

If he is not the man then all well and good but if he is.........

We all have a small part to play in our own little town, if this helps catch someone who is really not a nice peson then you have played your part.

Dont let being fobbed of by the neighbourhood team put you off, call the number that has been posted please.

I am having no further part in this It is becoming a Witch Hunt
What are you going to do track him down..... and then what??
The police are being informed, apparently, and they haven't come rushing round to see me so they probably don't think it is worth the bother either
He's following me not the rest of you and I am not bothered The windows and doors are locked and given that we live in an area where there is a stabbing a day I would have thought you all had even bigger things to be concerned about

I can't believe none of you have ever experienced these sort of things and find it so unusual
It's what men do - especially from other countries They just have a different way of going about things and you may not want to know them, I don't, but these things happen

"It's what men do - especially from other countries..." Sorry, but I really don't think this sort of comment helps.

You clearly have no experience of it but I have had a lot so please don't patronise me

BB,

Do you live alone?

That is one feature of these attacks.
He only chooses victims who live alone.

I doubt that he would approach his victim directly beforehand.

Be careful in the Catford area. Girls have been seriously attacked around there recently during the day.

Sherwood

Can you be specific. My 13 year old daughter goes to school in Catford and if anything has happened I'd like to warn her. Time of day , description, area etc

Girls have been followed to their cars in the Holbeach Road car park and verbally accosted.

A girl was seriously assaulted about a month ago in Canadian Avenue by the Power League Sports Ground. The attacker was described as "a young Jamaican man, with a heavy Caribbean accent".
He sustained facial injuries from his victim. But these may have faded by now.

More news today I'm afraid http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8105288.stm

Potentially very good news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8361587.stm

Hopefully good news indeed.

I was trying to post the link but had password/login issues..all sorted now...

They say a '52 year old man'.. the picture the police were showing round at house visits looked to be of someone much younger... no wonder the arrest seems to have taken so long - no one's fault, it must have been harrowing for the victims giving a description

Let us hope they have the correct person would certainly be very good news.

Sky News is reporting that he lived in Brockley

Brockley Mews.

Looks like they must have the right guy, they have DNA sample and am sure they would not be charging him if he was not a definate match - if so, I am glad they got the evil scumbag.

Guilty!
Guilty!
Guilty!

Good to hear they found the guy!

Good to see that the principal of "innocent until proven guilty" is alive and well in Forest Hill....