British park killer strikes again

A knife-wielding maniac who murdered a jogger as she ran through a park has struck again, police fear.

A knife-wielding maniac who murdered a jogger as she ran through a park has struck again, British police fear.

Detectives believe the man who stabbed Margaret Muller, 27, to death earlier this year also knifed a 39-year-old female runner on Friday.

His latest victim suffered serious injuries and only survived because she was treated on the spot by a passing doctor.

The attack happened in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington, north London, 10 months after Miss Muller was killed less than two miles away in Victoria Park, Hackney.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Shatford yesterday warned women in the area not to go out alone.

He said: “While we don’t wish to be alarmist in any way I would ask people, particularly women, using parks in the area to be alert and aware of their surroundings.

“Let someone know where you are going, keep in the company of other people and report anything suspicious to the police.”

Mr Shatford said the latest attack “was totally motiveless and there is no indication of robbery or sexual assault as the cause.”

He added: “On each occasion, a knife has been used. For this reason, we are going to be demonstrably robust with this investigation and I will work on the assumption the person who killed Margaret is also responsible for this attack until we can prove otherwise.”

Slightly-built Miss Muller, who was 4ft 10ins, was found on a path between a rose garden and a playground in Victoria Park on February 3 after other joggers heard her screams.

She had been stabbed repeatedly in the back and her killer has never been found. Five people were arrested by police investigating the murder but they were later released.

Mr Shatford said that the lastest victim was a local who jogged regularly in the park.

She underwent surgery last night and is now in a stable condition in hospital.

He said he hoped to interview the woman for the first time since the attack later tonight.

He said: “Just after 5pm last night, a 39-year-old woman was jogging in Clissold Park. At some stage, she was approached by an individual who was wearing a hooded jacket. We believe that person to be a male and probably a white male.

“He attacked her by stabbing her about the torso.”

He would not say how many times the woman had been stabbed only that it was more than once.

He said: “She managed to escape from him and run away but collapsed because of her injuries after a short distance.

“Fortunately, there was a doctor in the park and he went to her immediate aid and administered medical treatment. The actions of that doctor could well have saved that lady’s life.”

Miss Muller, originally from Virginia, US, was a promising artist and a student at the famous Slade School of Fine Art, part of University College, London.

She had also worked as a teaching assistant after first going to Britain in 1998.

Her family made an emotional visit to the murder spot in an appeal for information to help catch the killer.

The Metropolitan Police launched the largest reconstruction exercise in its history in the hope of getting new clues.

The murder also featured on BBC TV’s Crimewatch

Her father, Erich, 61, told ITV’s Tonight with Trevor McDonald, “Now I need to accept the fact she’ll never come home again. She’ll never come around and say, ‘Dad’.”