One day in the spring some fifteen years ago, I was out with my camera on the common, taking photos for my club competition.
Some way ahead of me was a woman walking up the hill away from me, the coming towards me a man came. He put his arm round her and kissed her. Then I saw he had a big knife in his left hand.
She started to take off her coat, and I took a photo.
Then I called out "lay off her".
He then let her go and she run off up the hill. He came towards me with his knife. I could not run off because of angina, so I hid in the bushes. As he came closer I took another photo with my silent camera. I said "Nice day!" He said "Yeees".
As he walked passed I moved further into the bushes and took a photo as he flashed his knife about.
Then he walked off the common.
Some time later I saw the same man attack another girl.
This time I was a bit close to a young woman walking ahead of me so I took the right fork as she took the left fork. A few paces later I heard a muffled cry for help and a man said "Keep quiet and I'll make it easy for you".
I walked quickly back to the fork and as I turned into the path, I saw her take off her panties. He was gripping her with his right hand on her left arm and held his knife in his left hand.
I used my new analogue mobile phone to call the operator to say there was an attack. And in order to distract him I turned on my flash gun and started taking photographs. One frame caught the knife being plunged into her lower abdomen.
I then put down the camera and the phone, walked over and hit him in the face. He turned towards me, I fended off the arm with the knife and he circled round, broke off the engagement and walked away off the common.
The girl (she was about sixteen) hugged me then I persuaded her to get dressed up again and we walked with her hanging on, to civilisation, only a few yards away, went to the cafe and I bought her a cup of tea. Then she started bleeding and went into the toilet. I informed the cafe staff and took the film to a 1-hour processor.
Both films were handed to the police and the images published in the police gazette. I think one of the frames made it to one of the national dailies.
Both these attacks took place where the notorious murder of a young woman had occurred a few months earlier.
Chris.
24/12/2011