A man who glassed a woman and then fled by train was thought to be on the loose in Colchester today.

The public were being warned not to approach the man, who was seen in the town following the attack this morning.

He is believed to have attacked his former girlfriend with a broken glass in Treebeard Copse, South Woodham Ferrers, at 3.45am before fleeing.

The woman was taken to Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, but was released after treatment.

The suspect was then seen on Riverside Walk, in Witham, at 7.45am, when he approached a woman and asked her for directions.

She noticed he had a bloody stab wound to his right thigh. She directed him towards the train station.

Colchester police traced the man to Marks Tey train station, but he is thought to have got a taxi to Colchester town centre where he was sighted at 9am.

A spokesman for Essex Police said although the stabbing was a targeted attack and the general public at large were not thought to be in danger, anyone who spots him is asked to contact police and not approach him.

The man has a stab wound to his right thigh, is tall, white, of slim build with a long brown ponytail and was wearing light blue jeans, a light and dark blue Nicholson T-shirt. He is in his 20s.

Published Wednesday June 9, 2004

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