Manchester sex attacks: Jail for man who tried to rape three women

A man who attacked three women as he tried to rape them in Manchester city centre has been jailed indefinitely.

Abdoulaye Diallo ordered one woman to undress before he hit her head on the pavement near the junction of Postal Street and Newton Street last November.

He was disturbed by passers-by and ran off, to be seen soon afterwards on CCTV buttoning up his shirt near the scene.

The 28-year-old, of Upper Brook Street, Manchester, admitted three counts of attempted rape.

He was ordered to serve an indeterminate sentence for public protection at Manchester Crown Court and was ordered to serve a minimum of four years in prison.

Diallo's first attack took place just before 03:50 GMT on 12 November last year.

His other attacks took place in December and January.

Just before 06:00 GMT on 24 December, he approached a 21-year-old woman on Fountain Street and asked her for sex.

When she refused, he pushed her to the ground, told her to remove her clothes and punched her in the face.

He ran off when he was disturbed by a staff member from a nearby shop.

The third attack took place at 19:30 GMT on 14 January, when Diallo approached a 21-year-old woman from behind as she walked along Medlock Street.

He punched her to the ground, demanded she remove her clothes and punched her again in the face.

He then exposed himself and attempted to remove some of her clothing before running off.

Diallo was caught after police saw him approach women in the Longsight area of Manchester later that night.

Det Insp Andy Naismith, who led the investigation, said: "Diallo violently attacked and tried to rape three women and to say he is a danger to women would be grossly understated.

"The three incidents caused considerable and understandable concern in the community and we committed a vast amount of resources into the operation to find him.

"I hope his victims and the wider public find comfort in knowing he has been jailed indefinitely.

"As part of our investigation we thoroughly briefed officers across Manchester and I must praise the alertness of those who spotted him and whose subsequent actions ultimately led to him being detained."