An incident where a man threatened a woman with a knife in Risca was actually an attempted carjacking, British Transport Police have revealed.
Detectives have released a CCTV image of a person they would like to speak to in connection with the attempted carjacking, which took place just after 2pm on Saturday December 20 in the car park of Risca and Pontymister railway station.
Detective Inspector Mark Cleland, who is leading the BTP investigation, said: “A woman was sat in her car at the station when she was approached by a man who threatened to stab her and demanded she got out of the vehicle.
“Then, as a train pulled into the station, the man ran off towards the platform, at which point he was challenged by a member of the public before running away from the station.
“This was a terrifying incident for the victim who, despite being uninjured, was left in considerable distress.”
The man police would like to speak to is described as around 6ft, aged 20 to 25 with bleached blonde hair. He was wearing a blue puffer jacket and dark trousers, and was carrying a white carrier bag.
DI Cleland said: “I am confident the man in the image we are issuing today has information which will help our investigation. Who is he? Where is he staying?
“We are also appealing for anyone who was at the station at the time of the incident to come forward. You may have seen or heard something – no matter how insignificant it might seem – which could help our enquiries. You can talk to us in complete confidence and your information could prove vital to our investigation.
“I would reassure the public that incidents such as this are extremely rare. Tens of thousands of passenger journeys are made safely each year, and Gwent remains a very safe place to live, work and visit.”
Anyone with information should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting incident number 310 of 20/12/2014. Information can also be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.