No arrests have been made despite "countless hours" spent by police poring over CCTV and forensics following two knife-point attacks on women in Derry.
A large policing operation was launched by police in the city in November amid widespread fears for women's safety following the two sexual assaults - which happened within 24 hours at two public parks in the Waterside area of Derry, just a few miles apart.
And in an update on the status of the investigation, the PSNI's Area Commander for Derry and Strabane has said detectives now believe there is "insufficient evidence" to suggest the two attacks are linked.
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The attacks happened over the course of around 17 hours, on November 1 and 2, in the Waterside area of the city.
The first happened at around 10pm in Drumahoe Park, when a woman in her 20s was reported to have been walking when she was approached from behind by a man, punched in the head, pulled into nearby trees and forced to the ground at knifepoint.
Police said she struggled with her attacker, striking him in the face a number of times with her torch, before breaking free and running to safety.
The following afternoon, in Top of the Hill Park, police said a woman was walking her dog shortly before 3pm when she was approached by a man armed with a kitchen knife. The man "grabbed at the woman" but she called out and defended herself with her dog lead, prompting the attacker to "run off".
The sex attacks followed reports of two other, high profile sex crimes elsewhere in the city in the days beforehand.
There were widespread fears for women's safety and a rally was staged at the Guildhall.
Derry City and Strabane Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Gillian Kearney, announced increased patrols at a number of locations throughout the city.
And in an update on the investigation, the top police officer told Belfast Live this week: "Since November, officers have worked through countless hours of CCTV and forensic enquiries and spoken with a number of people in the Drumahoe and Top of the Hill areas.
"When both sexual assaults were reported, a line of enquiry at the time was they were possibly linked.
“Both victims were women who were in a park when they were targeted by the perpetrator who had a knife. We linked both crimes to ensure a robust specialist investigation and public safety."
She continued: "At this time, detectives assess there is insufficient evidence to suggest the two assaults are linked. The investigations will continue to be subject to review in light of any new information received.
"We encourage anyone who may have considered contacting police at the time but has yet to do so, to call us on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Chief Superintendent Kearney added: “We continue to meet with partners and groups to maximise opportunities of working together to address violence against women and girls in our community.
“It’s important to note with the recent launch of the Power To Change* campaign, our local district engagement teams have been provided with an operational toolkit to take this campaign out to local community groups and sporting clubs. We are keen to work with as many groups and organisations in our communities and partners to roll this campaign out far and wide and work together to end violence against women and girls.”
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