Dead student victim of 'multiple attacker'

The body of a missing 23-year-old Finnish student was yesterday found in undergrowth in Wanstead, east London.

Police believe that Suvi Aronen was killed by a man who had attacked three other women in the area in the previous hour.

Ms Aronen, a media studies student at the University of East London, was attacked shortly before 6pm on Thursday. Her mother called her mobile phone at 5.45pm and heard her shout "Get off! Don't hurt me!" before the line went dead.

A second call was made to the phone and a muffled male voice could be heard, as well as cries. Police believe that her murder is linked to three other attacks on women which took place at 4.40pm, 5pm and 5.15pm, all in Wanstead.

In the first attack, the assailant told his 44-year-old victim that he was going to kill her as he dragged her along by her handbag. He ran away when the bag split.

During the second attack, he pushed his fingers down the throat of an 80-year-old woman but she bit his hand and again he ran away. In the third, he punched a 56-year-old woman in the face and ran away with her bag.

Officers have not ruled out a connection with the murder of Margaret Muller, the American artist who was stabbed while jogging in Victoria Park, east London, last month.