Teen sexually assaulted three separate times in under an hour

A teen was sexually assaulted three times in an hour in London. This surveillance photo shows one of the suspects. (London Metropolitan Police)

A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted three times in the span of an hour as she walked home from a night out in London, police said.

The teenager, who was not identified, became separated from her friends following a night at the Tower Hamlets club in east London when she was attacked three times in quick succession. The terrifying incidents happened between 11:55 p.m. on Sept. 29 and 12:55 a.m. on Sept. 30.

Surveillance footage from street cameras picked up bits and pieces of the attacks, Metropolitan Police said.

Surveillance footage shows a man who police believe assaulted a teen in London. (London Metropolitan Police)

The CCTV footage of the first attack shows a man and the victim appearing to go into a doorway on the same road. The man is not seen again, but pieces of the teen’s clothing were found nearby, police said.

Shortly after midnight, surveillance video picks up the girl stumbling down a street -- where she's followed by a bearded man on a bicycle.

The man attacks her and the footage shows her emerging from the episode with her clothing disheveled.

Minutes later, detectives said the girl suffered a third attack, possibly involving two or three men.

Surveillance footage shows a man who police believe sexually assaulted a teenager in London. (London Metropolitan Police)

After the third attack, a passerby spotted the teenager lying on the ground “in a state of distress” and immediately alerted police.

“This is a horrific multiple sexual assault on a young female who was simply making her way home after a night out,” said Det. Inspector Suzanne Jordan in a statement. “We believe two of the three were very serious sexual assaults indeed, are determined to catch the persons responsible for these hideous crimes.”