Latest news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A thug suspected of stabbing five women with hypodermic needles in Birmingham’s entertainment district may have struck another SIX TIMES.

Police have revealed new potential victims had come forward after they issued a picture of a man they want to question over the horror attacks in and around Broad Street.

And last night detectives released a CCTV image of a second man who may have witnessed the stabbings, which left some victims facing agonising blood tests to see if they had contracted HIV.

He was seen walking alongside the suspect, moments after a woman was jabbed with a needle.

Meanwhile, one young mum who was stabbed with a needle in Broad Street last year spoke to the Mail and said: ‘‘I may have been the first victim.’’

Katie Wakeman, 26, had a needle plunged into her last March as she waited for a taxi following birthday celebrations with friends.

Her attacker was never caught and she had to undergo blood tests before being given the clear by doctors.

She told the Mail last night: “I’ve seen the latest stuff on the news and I don’t know if it was the same person – bit I think I may be one of the first victims.

“When I reported my attack to police they treated it as an isolated incident and said no-one else had come forward. But I’m now thinking of going back to ask them to review any CCTV.

“I want whoever did this to me and to the other women put behind bars.’’

Detectives say the second man could hold vital information to help trace the culprit.

He was seen on CCTV apparently walking alongside the suspect just after an attack at around 3am on Sunday November 3, when a 30-year-old woman had felt a sharp pain in her thigh, which was later confirmed as a puncture wound.

Detective Inspector Julie Woods, from Force CID, said: “We believe that this man could have witnessed the attack or may know the person responsible and could help us significantly with our enquiries.”

A CCTV image of a possible suspect was released last week by detectives in a bid to trace him, sparking calls to police from six other potential victims.

Det Insp Woods added: “We have received several calls with information following the appeal on Friday and are currently following these up.

‘‘We have also received reports of six further attacks going back over the last six months which could possibly be linked to the same suspect.

“However, we are still keen to hear from anyone who has any information about these incidents and who recognises either of the men in the CCTV images.

“These are strange offences and the motive at this stage is unclear, but we do not underestimate the anxiety and stress that the attacks can cause.”

The five previously reported needle attacks all took place in the Broad Street area, popular for clubbers and tourists.

Superintendent Danny Long from Birmingham Police said officers had stepped up patrols in the area in a bid to reassure people visiting the city centre.

He said: “This is an unusual offence which will understandably cause some concern and we are working extremely hard to find the person responsible.

“We have increased the number of officers on patrol in Broad Street and around the city centre, particularly since the attack earlier this month, and are working closely with street wardens, street pastors, licensees, door staff and clubbers themselves to keep people safe.”

Katie, who lives in Quinton, had been waiting for a taxi outside a kebab shop near the Gatecrasher nightclub when she was stabbed in the bottom.

“We were all round this taxi trying to haggle and I’d stepped back,” she previously told our sister paper, the Sunday Mercury.

“All of a sudden I had got this immense pain in my bum. I flipped round – two men had just passed me but I didn’t know what had actually happened.

“My sister said the colour drained out of me and I was crying at this point because of the pain.

“It wasn’t until the next day that I actually looked at the wound. I just broke down and cried. I grabbed my clothes and there was a hole in my top and leggings.”

She said the two men she saw were white and one of them was wearing a red T-shirt.

Mum-of-one Katie was later given the all-clear by doctors, but the sickening attack has left her emotionally damaged.

“I have not been to Broad Street since and would probably never go there again. I just don’t like being in crowds,’’ she said.

“The physical damage has gone, but I think I’ve been left with some psychological damage. You wonder why somebody does this? Are they doing it for kicks?’’

Police said at the time they believed the needle stabbing was an ‘isolated’ incident.

But Katie added: “After people saw my article I was contacted by other people on Facebook and some women told me it had also happened to them in Broad Street.

‘’Once of them was a nurse and she reported her incident to police. Hers was in the leg.

‘‘I would urge anyone who has been a victim to come forward.’’

Anyone who recognises either of the men in the images should contact detectives from Force CID on 101, or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.