DETECTIVES are hunting a man whom they believe sexually assaulted five women in Westmeath. The suspect, who wears an aftershave thought to be Joop!, a designer brand, has been linked to a series of indecent assaults in Athlone over a 14-month period.

The most recent took place in the Hallsbridge area of the town last Saturday as the victim, a mother of four, walked home from a shop. A similar attack took place a week earlier, while three women were attacked last year.

In all five cases the attacker, who does not wear a mask, approached his victims from behind as they walked alone in the town, and beat them before molesting them.

The last two attacks involved a more serious type of violence and included threats of rape. “This man is very comfortable committing this type of crime in Athlone,” said a detective. “He seems to know the area and is not afraid to show his face or speak to his victims, which indicates that he is travelling to the area to carry out attacks, or is just confident that he won’t be caught.”

Some of the victims say he wore excessive amounts of a strong aftershave. “He might be doing this to disguise another smell which may be associated with his work,” said another security source.

Detectives from the force’s cold-case unit and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation were asked to assist in the investigation following the most recent attack. They are reviewing evidence to see if the attacks are linked to similar crimes in other areas.

It is unclear where the attacker is from, as victims have been unable to describe his accent. Gardai have stepped up patrols in the area and advised women not to walk alone in the town at night.

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