Police are searching for a woman who was “savagely beaten” in an unprovoked attack as she walked in a street near Kilburn with her two dogs.

The woman was walking alone down Carlton Hill when a man approached her from behind, punched her to the floor and began repeatedly kicking her at about 5.30pm on Sunday, February 22.

The attack - which left the woman and her two Staffordshire Bull terriers injured - was only stopped when two passersby stepped in and detained the man.

But, despite their pleas, the woman refused to wait and left before police arrived.

Officers who attended the scene arrested the man, aged 32, and he was taken into custody at a north London police station and later bailed pending further enquiries.

The investigating officers would like to trace the victim. She is described as a white women aged in her early 30s, approximately 5ft 8ins tall with a slim build and was wearing blue jeans, 3/4 length camouflage coat and a hat at the time of the assault.

One of the dogs was a tan colour and the other black.

Pc Chris Jones, from Westminster Police, said: “This is a particularly horrific assault on a lone female and her pets in broad daylight. Were it not for the intervention of two members of the public, the outcome could have been a whole lot different. The suspect in this case has been arrested however; I am appealing for assistance from the public to trace the victim.”

+ People with information about the victim please contact Westminster officers on 020 7321 8008 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.