Police appeal after violent robbery on woman in Newham

Police have released CCTV footage of a man they wish to identify and speak to in connection with a violent robbery on a woman.

In the footage, the woman is kicked and punched and has her mobile phone taken.

It happened on Saturday, 20 February at around 04:30hrs on Norwich Road, Forest Gate.

After leaving the night bus, the victim - a 31-year woman - heard a man on the opposite side of the road asking what she was doing. Concerned for her safety, she called the police.

The suspect, holding a bottle in his hand, crossed the road and knocked the phone out of her hand.

After pushing her in the street and kicking her, he then punched her in the head and she fell to the floor.

The man then left the woman lying on the pavement, bruised and without her phone.

The woman made her way to nearby house and raised the alarm. She was later treated by London Ambulance Service for cuts to her forehead.

The suspect is described as a black man with short black hair and a black beard wearing a black padded jacket, dark trousers and carrying a bottle of red wine.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may recognise the man shown on CCTV or who witnessed the incident.