Police are appealing for witnesses following the attack.

A woman was grabbed at knife point and sexually assaulted in Tottenham this morning, less than a week after another woman was subjected to a horrific attack in a nearby park.

It is believed the 55-year-old woman was pulled into Bruce Castle Park from New Road by the knife-wielding suspect, who then forced her to touch his penis.

Police, who were called at about 1.30am today (Thursday), found the woman in a distressed state with some minor injuries to her neck and face.

Officers believe her assailant ran off when three young black men passed by. They now want to speak to these men to see if they can help with their investigation.

DI Ralph Coates of Haringey CID said: “We are keen to speak to anyone that may have witnessed the incident, especially the three young men that may not have realised what they had seen but may have crucial information to assist the investigation.”

The suspect is described as being a black man, aged about 20 to 25 years, about 5ft 10 inches tall, wearing a white jacket with a black line or lines down the sleeves.

DCI Coates also assured residents incidents like this are unusual - although it comes less than a week after a woman in her 30s was assaulted in Lordship Recreation Ground in the early hours of Saturday, August 4.

However, unlike this latest assault, the woman is understood to have met her attacker in a nightclub in Tottenham earlier that evening.

The man, who is described as in his 40s and Turkish, slapped her around the face, ripped her clothing off, attempted to rape her and then hit her on the back of the head knocking her unconscious after offering her a lift home in his car.

DI Coates has reitterated the importance of personal safety. He said: “It is timely to remind people of some basic personal safety advice including: be alert to your surroundings, avoid poorly lit areas at night, try to use well lit, busy routes, consider carrying a personal alarm in your hand, travel with friends where possible and consider booking a cab for your journey to get you safely door to door.”

- Anyone with information about Thursday’s attack is asked to contact investigating officer DC Marysia Temple on 020 8345 0712, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.