Detectives investigating a screwdriver attack in which a man was stabbed 19 times in east London have released a photo of the suspect as part of an ‘urgent’ appeal to track him down.
Tom Savage, 36, suffered life-changing injuries in the ‘horrific’ attack, which took place in Mirabelle Gardens, Stratford, shortly after 9pm on August 19.
He spent weeks in hospital after being repeatedly stabbed in the head, abdomen and body by a stranger while out walking his dog.
The attacker was tracked as far as Whitechapel, where he was seen getting off the Elizabeth line, but the trail has gone cold.
The Met Police has now released a photo of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the stabbing.
Detective Sergeant Simon Wheeler said: ‘We continue to investigate this horrific assault and are urgently appealing to the public to help.
‘We are in regular contact with the victim and are examining every avenue of opportunity to find the person responsible and bring him to justice.’
Speaking to the BBC last month about the attack, Tom described being approached by the man who asked him if he lived in the area before lifting his own shirt up, exposing ‘what looked like the handle end of a screwdriver’.
‘I was quite lucky it wasn’t a knife really, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was but I never saw the full thing,’ he said.
‘I didn’t get very far before this guy knocked me over. I felt a smack in the back of my head and from that point on I don’t remember feeling any pain from the whole thing – I felt numb.
‘I managed to shout for help a couple of times, but then the next thing I know he threw me on the floor – I lost all feeling from my chest down and I think that’s probably when he stabbed me in the spine. That was the point where it was over for me.
‘I was laying on my side and at that point I couldn’t really move.’
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Doctors have told him it may take up to two years to recover from his injuries.
Tom said the thought of his attacker still being out there left him afraid to leave home.
He said: ‘I’m quite anxious, it doesn’t feel like we’re any closer to having justice or an answer.’
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