A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted three times by three separate men within an hour in an “unprecedented” and gravely traumatising ordeal.

The teenager was walking home from a nightclub in Tower Hamlets, east London, when she was targeted by the men in quick succession.

The local authority announced on Friday that it was investing £3million to put an additional 19 officers on the streets in the crime-ridden borough after losing almost 200 officers in seven years due to government cuts.

Police said there was absolutely no link between the “opportunistic” attacks on the teenager, two of which were described as very serious, possibly rape. The third suspect may have been part of a group.

The victim, who is a student, was so deeply traumatised that her memory was affected. Officers fear she may have been drugged.

It is hoped that the men will be identified by CCTV images, one of whom in particular - the second suspected attacker - is clearly pictured.

The girl’s ordeal began shortly before midnight on Friday September 29. She had spent the evening at a club with friends but became separated from them and was trying to make her way home.

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She was seen on camera at around 11.55pm being carried down Cambridge Heath Road in Hackney by the first suspect.

The pair are then seen appearing to go into a doorway, after which the man, who was wearing dark clothing, is not seen again on camera. Items of the top half of the girl's clothing were subsequently found nearby.

Shortly after midnight, another CCTV camera captures the girl stumbling down nearby Mint Street being followed by a different man, suspect two, on a racing bike.

Police believe the bearded man followed her as she turned the corner and headed in the direction of Bethnal Green train station.

The images indicate that the man then directed her into an area set back from the street where they remained for a period of time. The CCTV then shows the suspect walking away.

The girl, whose clothing appears dishevelled, emerges shortly afterwards and continues down Corfield Street.

Just minutes later, at around 12.45pm, detectives believe the victim was attacked a third time, possibly by two or three men.

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CCTV captures a third suspect walking down the street, possibly joined by two others who can be seen in the distance under some trees.

The man appears to bend down towards a spot on the kerb, between two parked cars, and is believed to have seriously assaulted the teenager.

He is then seen walking away on his own. He has a distinctive gait which gives him the appearance of walking unevenly and perhaps being slightly bow-legged.

A member of the public then spotted the victim lying on the ground in distress and called 999.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said such a string of completely random attacks was “incredibly rare” and that detectives investigating the alleged crime had not seen anything like it in careers spanning more than 20 years.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Jordan, from the Met's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, (CAS0) added: "This is a horrific multiple sexual assault on an young female who was simply making her way home after a night out. We would like to thank the members of the public who intervened to help her and possibly prevented her ordeal from continuing even further.

"We believe two of the three were very serious sexual assaults indeed, and are determined to catch the persons responsible for these hideous crimes. I would urge anyone who recognises either male in these images to contact us as a matter of urgency.

"We'd also like to speak to any witnesses who haven't already come forward, or anyone with any information at all however insignificant they believe it might be - it could prove crucial to progressing our enquiries."

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “I was shocked and appalled by this terrible attack. My thoughts remain with the victim and her family at this difficult time and the council is supporting the police in their ongoing investigations.”

The council announced that it was ploughing in funds from its reserves to bolster its police force by 19, taking the total number of council-funded officers in the borough to 39.

Mr Biggs said: “The Government might think cutting police budgets is acceptable but we do not. Tower Hamlets is committed to working with and investing in the police to protect residents.”

Tower Hamlets, which has the highest volume of anti-social behaviour calls to the police in London, has lost 23 per cent of its force in seven years.

The additional officers the council has pledged to fund over the next three years will be tasked with tackling crime and anti-social behaviour as well as acid attacks, drug dealing and violent crime.

A spokeswoman said she believed more and more councils would be forced to fund their own officers in order to future-proof themselves against government cuts to the police budget.