Joseph McCann, the man named by police in connection with the abduction and rape of two women plucked off the street in London, allegedly committed the offences after being released early from prison on licence.

It also emerged on Tuesday night that the 34-year-old is a suspect in the abduction and rape of a third woman who was attacked at knifepoint in Watford, Hertfordshire, on 21 April.



On 25 April, a woman was abducted in Chingford, north-east London, between midnight and 1am, and a second woman was abducted in Edgware, north London, just after midday.

McCann is suspected of returning to Watford that afternoon, where he allegedly tried and failed to book a hotel room with the two women still held captive. The abducted pair managed to escape, the alarm was raised and the manhunt for McCann intensified.

He was in prison serving a sentence for aggravated burglary and was released in February 2017, partway through his sentence.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice insisted a proper risk assessment would have been done before McCann’s release.

McCann was named on Tuesday morning by the Metropolitan police as their prime suspect for the abduction and rape of two women in London, both of whom are in their 20s and suffered horrific ordeals. Police described him as highly dangerous and offered a £20,000 reward for his capture.

Later on Tuesday details emerged of the first rape for which McCann is a suspect, which happened on Sunday 21 April. Hertfordshire police said: “It is believed that a woman was approached by a man holding a knife in Hagden Lane, Watford, close to the junction with Rickmansworth Road at around 3.30am.

“She was forced into a blue Ford Mondeo and driven to numerous locations around the town over the next six hours. These included the Rushton estate in Watford, near to Watford Library on Hempstead Road, North Western Avenue, and the BP garage on Wiggenhall Road. During this time she was raped at an address in the town.

“The incident was reported to us on 22 April.”

Hertfordshire police said they tried to locate the offender, but by Thursday 25 April named McCann as a suspect in the Watford rape. That day two more rapes occurred for which he was named as a suspect.

One victim was abducted from a street in Chingford at about 12.30am on Thursday. The second was taken from a street in Edgware, north London, about 12 hours later.

At around 2.30pm, the women broke free after a struggle in Osborne Road, Watford, where builders helped them escape.

Detectives said McCann speaks with a slight Irish accent and has the name “Bobbie” tattooed on his stomach. He has links to Watford, Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Ipswich in Suffolk.

Detectives fear McCann may use violence if he believes he is going to be detained. Police said he may attempt to disguise his appearance, adding that he also uses false names, most recently calling himself “Joel”.

The Metropolitan police said: “McCann is described as being of muscular build and 5ft 10ins tall. He has blue eyes, a bald head or shaved blond hair with a light-coloured short beard.”

DCI Katherine Goodwin, from the Met’s homicide and major crime command, said: “We would ask anyone with any information about McCann’s whereabouts to contact us immediately. McCann is considered extremely dangerous and a risk to the public and we ask people not to approach him, but instead call 999. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers.”

The Met declined to comment on reports that one of the women abducted was pregnant at the time.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Joseph McCann was recalled on 23 April 2019 and his licence was revoked.



“Public protection is our priority and recall is used to ensure that offenders on licence who present a high risk to the public are returned to prison as quickly as possible.

“As there is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”