The prime suspect for a vicious attack on a lone woman jogger has been identified by a newspaper from his home country of Scotland.

Yesterday's Sunday Mail named Anthony Provan, a 32-year-old computer technician, as the man Police are looking for in connection with the attack on Saturday November 6.

Provan flew to London on the British Airways flight just hours after the morning attack in Parsons Lane, Devonshire. It is alleged the attacker deliberately ran his 42-year-old victim down near Bermuda Water Works and then asked her if she was all right but then tried to force her into his car. When the woman managed to break free, the suspect chased her, grabbed and attacked her before dragging her to bushes.

There he rained down further blows before she screamed for help. A passing motorist stopped to help her as the suspect sped away. Bermuda Police have refused to publicly name their suspect.

Last night Chief Inspector Andrew Boyce confirmed the prime suspect in the case had been identified at lunchtime on the day of the attack and his Pembroke flat had been searched and car impounded but there was nothing to indicate he was about to abscond.

Asked if the suspect's passport was still at the home Chief Insp. Boyce said: "We were looking for specific things. That was not one of the things we were looking for."

He said Police were working with colleagues in Britain on the case. He said the suspect, who is from the Glasgow area in Scotland, had not made contact while friends and colleagues here gave a similar story.

Last night The Women's Resource Centre (WRC) executive director Penny Dill called for a protocol to be put in place to stop suspects in such serious cases from leaving the Island until investigations are complete. She asked: "Are we taking crimes against women and children seriously?"

Provan was a well-known figure in Hamilton bars but friends were staying tight-lipped about his whereabouts although some have speculated he is back in London, where he used to work before coming to the Island more than three years ago.

One colleague from Sbi, where he worked, said: "Tony was a very nice guy, he would give you the shirt off his back, that's how he always came across to me."

Provan was featured in the pages of The Royal Gazette last year as part of a series about road safety in which he recalled losing two toes during a bike accident.