BBC News | UK | Racists 'stalked top athlete'

Mr Cotter, 28, told the Sunday Express: "Ash now thinks that, looking back, she was followed, sometimes to and from training.

"It would not have taken much for these people to have established her routine, it is well-regimented."

Ms Hansen, who is widely seen as Britain's best hope of a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics this summer, also received hate mail relating to the racist attack.

The Sunday Express said the note, written in letters torn from a magazine, read "You were lucky last night.

"We won't make the same mistake again."

Mr Cotter was stabbed when he refused to let a gang into Ms Hansen's house.

Abusive calls

He also revealed he had received racially abusive calls on his mobile in the days leading up to the attack.

Police have few details of Mr Cotter's attackers, but one is described as aged 26 to 30, 6ft 3in tall, of stocky build and wearing a dark coloured heavy duffel coat. He is said to have a Birmingham accent.

Home Office Minister Mike O'Brien has issued a warning about the growing extremism of racists in Britain and condemned Tuesday's "appalling" attack.

He said the government was seriously concerned about this and a number of other racist incidents across the country.

He made clear on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that those offences now included cases "where a white perpetrator attacks a white victim on the basis of perhaps hostility towards the victim's black girlfriend".

Anyone with information about the attack can contact police on 0121 322 60778, or can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


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