A dog walker has expressed his outrage after witnessing a man punch a woman in the face on Tooting Common.

The witness, who asked not to be named, saw the horrible attack during which he said the attacker used homophobic language towards the woman - understood to be gay.

He saw a woman run on to the common screaming that she had been attacked, near Drewstead Road, on the morning of Thursday 17. He said she joined two other women on the common who asked the man to leave them alone.

He said: "I heard screams of a woman. I saw her running, screaming and running, saying ‘he has attacked me’.

"He was calling her a dyke. He came over to one of the women. The three women were there saying ‘go away, leave us alone’.

"He came right up in her face and she kept saying ‘leave me alone’.

"I said ‘leave them alone’ and then he punched the woman in the face.

Wandsworth Times:

Witness: 'He was super aggressive'

"I found it shocking a man would hit a woman in the face in broad daylight. I couldn’t believe it. He was a big bloke - muscularly. I find it abhorrent, I really do. He was super aggressive. They were trying to get away from him.

"The way he was acting - I’m really surprised he was just cautioned."

The police were called and the man was arrrested.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service said: "Police were called following an allegation of assault on Drewstead Road, London SW16 on Thursday, July 17, at 11.40am.

"A 50 year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to a south London police station.

"He was subsequently received a police caution for common assault."

Did you see the attack or have you been a victim of an attack on Tooting Common? Email ssleigh@london.newsquest.co.uk.