Operation Blair: Police hunt for armed man terrorising women in Adelaide

Updated 1 March 4.04pm AEDT

South Australian (SA) police are looking for a man who terrorised four women during the early hours of Sunday morning in Adelaide’s south-eastern suburbs.

Dubbed Operation Blair, the dedicated taskforce is investigating a series of incidents that involved a man, described as being Caucasian and aged between 25-45 years old, who in at least two incidents was armed, approach and scare four women within the span of just over an hour.

According to authorities, the first incident took place at approximately 6.20am on Feb. 28. A 61-year-old woman was walking her dog along Riverdale Road in Myrtle Bank, when a white Ford sedan, possibly an XE of XF model, drove past her.

The driver did a u-turn, parked ahead of the woman, exited his car and walked towards the victim. The woman then ran away from the man, who returned to his car.

CCTV footage of the incident, as seen below, has been released by authorities:

6:21:56 - Car drives east
6:22:32 - Woman jogs west
6:22:41 - Car drives west
6:23:10 - Woman runs east
6:23:33 - Car drives east

The next incident takes place a short time after the first along Duthy Street near Fairford Street at Malvern. A 33-year-old woman was walking when she was approached by a man who was holding what appeared to be a folding knife, causing her to scream. The suspect was last seen running west along Fairford St.

At around 7am, a 22-year-old woman noticed a man standing next to a white car parked in Salisbury Street as she was walking along Greenhill Road at Unley. The suspect, who the victim believes was holding a knife, grabbed her by the arm but she broke free and was not physically harmed.

Just 30 minutes later, a 52-year-old woman was going down the stairs at the South Road tram overpass at Glandore, when she was approached by a man who struck her on the arm with an unknown object and grabbed her. The woman screamed and the suspect ran off, leaving his victim with a minor hand injury.

The suspect was described in these incidents as having a slim build, about 175cm tall, and wearing long trousers and a long sleeve top. The CCTV vision of the man above shows him dressed in what appears to be a blue windbreaker and a blue beanie. Police have also released a composite image of the suspect, as seen in the map below, which shows the four locations the incidences took place on Sunday.

Authorities also recovered the vehicle they believe is wanted in relation to Operation Blair at about 1.45pm on Mar. 1, in the car park of Glandore Community Centre, Malwa Street.

It is believed that the same man threatened a 16-year-old girl on Jose Street, Melrose Park on Monday. He had approached her at around 4pm after getting out of his car, but she was able to escape.

A separate assault incident involving a 13-year-old girl, which took place on Monday afternoon in Hope Valley, is also being investigated by police. The teen was walking along Tolley Court when she saw a man sitting in a white sedan similar to a 1990s Holden Apollo. The man exited the car and grabbed the girl by the hand, but she kicked him in the shins and ran off.

However, this incident is at present not linked to reports associated with Operation Blair.

If anyone witnessed any of these incidents, recognises the man or the Ford sedan or has any information that may assist police, they are asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at http://sa.crimestoppers.com.au

Police remind the public to immediately report any incidents such as these, by contacting the Police Assistance Line on 131444.