POLICE investigating a series of sexual assaults in Cambridge are using social media in a bid to trace the offender.

A dedicated team of officers have been working on Operation Majesty in a bid to identify the offender responsible for eight offences between August and March.

Now the force has created a Facebook Ad which will be sent to Facebook users who live or study in the city and are in a specific age bracket.

The advert features the E-fit of the offender and states the reward of up to �5,000 being offered by independent charity Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible for the offences.

The force has also created a dedicated Facebook page to increase circulation of the E-fit image.

Anyone clicking on the Facebook Ad will be taken to a dedicated Operation Majesty page which has been set-up on the force website where they can read about the investigation and also submit information to the team.

Detective Sergeant Phil Priestley said: “Someone must know who this man is and we are exploring every way of reaching people who may hold vital information.

“In particular we are focusing on students and young people as we believe the offender is aged under 30. I would encourage everyone to visit the website or Facebook page to look at the E-fit.

“Any information, no matter how small, could lead to identifying the man responsible. It could also mean a cash reward for the person who can tell us who he is.”

Police have eliminated more than 100 men from the enquiry so far.

The offender is described as white, 20 to 30, 5’10’’ to six foot, of medium build and physically strong. He has short dark hair, stubble and wears a black jacket over a grey hooded jumper - which may have a number 3 on the back.

The most recent incident happened on Monday, March 7, in the Mill Pond area, in Mill Lane, Cambridge at around 11pm, as a woman in her 20s walked home. A man rode up beside the victim and grabbed her before riding off.

Detectives are also linking an incident on Monday, August 30, to the series after the victim identified the man who attacked her as the man in the e-fit. The incident happened at around 2.30pm in Grange Road, Newnham when a man on a bike grabbed her, before cycling off.

The other six incidents occurred between Thursday, November 11, and Monday, February 7, in the Newnham area of the city. The first happened at 1.15am on November 11, when a 21-year-old woman was grabbed in Adams Road.

A 29-year-old woman was then assaulted in Silver Street at about midnight on Wednesday, November 17.

The following day, at around the same time, a 21-year-old woman was assaulted in Sidgwick Avenue. A 19-year-old woman was grabbed in the same street at 2am on Thursday, December 2.

A 32-year-old woman was assaulted in Grantchester Meadows at 3am on Christmas morning.

A further offence was committed in Shelly Row at 12.30am on Monday, February 7, when a 27-year-old woman was grabbed. The offender ran off when the victim screamed.

In every incident the offender has run off when the victim began struggling or screaming.

Anyone with any information should call the Operation Majesty team on 0345 456 456 4 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.