A serial rapist who has attacked four women in southwest London is being hunted by police.

The man, described as dark-skinned, always strikes late at night or in the early hours of the morning and carried out his first assault on Valentine’s Day.

The women, aged between 16 and 25, were all attacked as they walked in Hounslow and Richmond, southwest London.

Police say that in all four cases the suspect is described as being in his mid to late twenties with a dark complexion and chubby cheeks and thick eyebrows.

One of the victims said the man had dark hair and two victims said he was wearing a sweet-smelling aftershave.

Scotland Yard has been criticised this year for missing opportunities to catch John Worboys and Kirk Reid, who were convicted for attacking a series of women.

Reid was on a list of three suspects but was never interviewed or eliminated from the inquiry. Scotland Yard was accused of “total and anbject failure”.

Officers investigating Worboys missed a golden opportunity to stop him when he was arrested but released in the midst of his attacking spree.

Commander Steve Bloomfield, senior officer for South West London, said of the current attacks: “We are taking these incidents very seriously and have taken a number of measures to prevent further offences and reassure the public.

“These include increased uniform and plain-clothed patrols of the area and the distribution of safety advice to members of the community.

“We are urging young women who are travelling late at night that wherever possible to try to walk with friends, to keep to well-lit main roads, to be aware of what’s going on around them, and to pre-book and use licensed cabs.”

The first incident happened at 3am on February 14 as the victim was walking along Inwood Road, Hounslow. She was attacked, pulled to the ground and raped.

The second incident happened at about 3.30am on February 22 in Hounslow Road, at the junction with Brainton Avenue. The victim was approached from behind, pulled to the ground and raped.

The third incident happened at about 11.45pm on April 30. The victim walked into Crane Park from Hospital Bridge Road and was attacked from behind and raped. The suspect ran off into the park.

The fourth incident happened shortly after midnight on May 4. The victim was walking along the footpath between Telford Road and Harvey Road when she was attacked from behind and raped.

Detective Inspector Andy Perrott from the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “I would like to speak to anybody who may have been in the vicinity of these attacks and saw or heard anything suspicious.”

Anyone with any information is urged to call the incident room on 0208 785 8244 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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