CCTV footage caught the moment a young man assaulted a woman as she walks alone down a residential street.
In a video shared online, a man can be seen following closely behind a woman as she walks through Southall in west London, yesterday at 4.04pm.
The man approaches her from behind before using his mobile phone to record the moment he grabs her bottom.
The assault was caught on camera by a homeowner’s CCTV camera.
Wearing a navy blue zip-up jumper and dark blue jeans, the unknown male sped up just before assaulting the woman.
She can be seen turning around to face him, as he immediately crosses the street and sprints to get away.
She swipes her arm backwards to move his hand off her bottom.
Just after she turns to face him and he scarpers across the road, she quickens her pace, and seems to look like she is trying to see his face to help identify him.
The woman, who wore a black and white printed jacket with a red scarf, was focused on her phone when she was grabbed by the male.
While the identity of the attacker remains unclear, social media users suggested he was a teenager.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: ‘Police officers have made an appointment to meet with a victim after she reported to police that a man had sexually assaulted her by touching as she walked along Ranelagh Road, Southall.
‘The incident was reported to have happened shortly before 16:00hrs on Wednesday, 27 October. Enquiries are ongoing.’