The Bois du Bouchet of Chamonix is the circuit of choice for families for a little walk not far from town. It is also often the start and finish for all those wishing to go jogging. In recent weeks, there have been stories of an aggressor attacking young women in the Bois de Bouchet. Several victims have spoken out, and their accounts can be read on the social networking site Facebook. Questioned repeatedly, the police have assured people that it is only rumour, and that no complaint had been filed. But there are still reports of attacks on women. Until last Tuesday. Last Tuesday, a young woman of 29 years - we will call her Dawn - told her harrowing story. She was jogging in the Bois du Bouchet around noon, wearing earphones. "Someone grabbed me from behind and squeezed me with frenzied hysteria". Then begins her account of the attacker harassing her sexually. "I struggled and I managed to free myself from his grasp by hitting him in the face with my elbow". She caught the man by the wrist, pulled him and tried to grab his second wrist. He was clearly trying to keep away from the nearby restaurant, the Robinson. "After the shock I found myself screaming. He told me to keep quiet. He wanted to avoid drawing attention". Attracted by the shouting, people from the restaurant hurried to the scene. The man became scared, let his victim go and fled, pursued by the restaurant manager. The latter tried to catch the attacker, but gave up after fifteen minutes. Yesterday, a colleague at the restaurant confirmed the facts to us. The description of the attacker is always the same: According to Dawn, he is a man of European type, brown hair, about 1.80 metres, athletic. "He was wearing a white T-shirt with a circular logo on the back and striped or checked Bermuda shorts". Dawn has obviously made a formal complaint at the police station in Chamonix. On June 17th, a previous victim had already described a man slightly less than 30 years, with stiff bushy brown hair, dark eyes, olive skin, a description very similar to that given by Dawn. During this attack, at nine in the morning, "he was wearing baggy black pants and a red hoodie". This earlier victim also claims to have alerted the police. To our knowledge, at least four young women have had been attacked. Contacted yesterday, the court prosecutor in Bonneville, Pierre-Yves Michau, told "Le Dauphiné" that he has not yet been informed of these facts. For Lieutenant Tachon, the Chamonix Police Commandant, there is an mixture of several cases. "We indeed had a complaint last Tuesday. But there was also an exhibitionist recently at large in the woods, and we arrested him. He was chasing people, but not attacking them. But it would seem that we now apparently have another exhibitionist". So, until the police apprehend whoever is responsible, perhaps is it better to avoid running alone in the Bois du Bouchet, even in daylight. Le Dauphiné
