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Stab girl’s Crimewatch plea

Ailsa Cranna
22/12/2005

POLICE may turn to the BBC's Crimewatch programme to track down the man who stabbed nurse Karen Wright as she walked near Victoria Park in Swinton.

As the 36-year-old nurse, who works at Hope Hospital, recovers from her wounds, her attacker has yet to be traced.

Now detectives hope Karen's appearance on Crimewatch will give them a breakthrough in a case which has left them baffled.

Det Con John Lonsdale told Swinton Community Committee on Tuesday: "This is a motiveless attack and in 11 years as a police officer I have never come across anything like it. The man who attacked Karen Wright was a complete stranger.

"I can assure people that incidents like this are extremely rare. However, we must catch this person as he is very dangerous and in the new year we may approach Crimewatch to make an appeal."

Jehovah's Witness Karen was walking along an alleyway off Park Avenue, Swinton at about 7pm on Thursday, November 24 when a man slashed her, screaming: "I'm going to kill you".

Karen told the Advertiser: "I thought he was either going to rape or kill me and that's when I took over and started fighting back".

The man then fled through Victoria Park and Karen was discovered by a woman passer-by and her son and taken to Hope Hospital, where she was treated for wounds to her back and neck.

Police are looking for a slim, white male, 5ft 8ins tall, aged from 19 to early twenties, with a chubby face, who was wearing black clothes and a black 'beanie' hat. He may have had blood on his clothes.

Anyone with information about the attack should ring Swinton police station on: 0161 856 5228.