Find him! Detectives issue urgent plea to track down man in his 20s after girl, six, was abducted from street and sexually assaulted by attacker who was ‘hanging about’ before he struck
- Police are investigating the abduction and sexual assault of a girl in Droylesden
- Six-year-old is said to have been taken into a van to a disused railway track
- A 35-year-old man arrested yesterday has now been released without charge
- But detectives have issued two images of a second man they want to speak to
- The force said the child was safely reunited with her family a short time later
Detectives have issued an urgent plea to track down a man in his 20s after a six-year-old girl was abducted off a street and sexually assaulted by a suspect who ‘hung around’ the area before he struck.
Police were called to the incident in Droylsden at around 4pm yesterday following reports the girl was taken to a vehicle in Warne Road and into a wooded area close to a disused railway track towards Manchester Road – where she was allegedly sexually assaulted.
The young girl was safely reunited with her family a short time later, police say.
A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of abduction and sexual assault, but he has now been released with no further action to be taken.
But detectives probing the incident are stepping up the search for another man they wish to ‘speak to urgently’.
Police yesterday released two images of the male taken 30 minutes apart, urging anyone who sees him to call 999 immediately.
And speaking at the scene of one of two police cordons today, DSI Richard Hunt said: ‘At 4.10pm yesterday we were contacted in relation to a six-year-old girl being abducted. This little girl turns seven very soon.
‘This incident started on a grassed area between Warne Avenue and Hawthorn Road at around 4pm yesterday.
‘From this green area is a path leading to a football field between Heron Drive and Brendon Drive. We suspect that the offender walked with the child across this area, where we believe he has sexually assaulted her.
‘The offender appears to have been hanging around the area prior to the offence and also afterwards. He made his way through the paths and streets of the Snipe Estate possibly in the direction of Openshaw. Officers are out on the ground retrieving CCTV footage of this area.
‘Obviously we are keen to speak to the male described in the footage. This is a white man aged in his 20s, dark trousers, dark jacket which at one point was worn around his waist, dark shoes or trainers, with a white rim around the sole. A man was arrested – he is not the man in the images.’
Police said in a statement: ‘We’re wanting to speak to this man after a girl (aged six) was taken into the woods by a stranger in Droylsden earlier’
Greater Manchester Police then released a second image of the man they want to identify. He appears here on Gainsborough Road heading towards The Snipe
A forensic officer walks along a green where a police tent has been erected at the scene in Warne Avenue, Droylsden
A van inside a police cordon close to a woodland where a six-year-old girl was abducted and sexually assaulted
The van is parked adjacent to a woodland, where police say the six-year-old was taken close to a disused railway track
A blue tent has been erected inside a small grass area where police say the suspect hung around before and after the sexual assault
A police community support officer guards a police cordon where forensic teams were seen searching a van earlier today
A blue police tent and officer inside a cordon in Warne Avenue, Droylsden, earlier today following the abduction of a child
The first of the two pictures released by police was taken a short time after the reports of the abduction were first made, with the second captured around half an hour afterwards.
It shows the man appearing to be wearing a jacket around his waist in Gainsborough Road hearing towards The Snipe pub.
This morning, an area of grass just off the street remains taped off by police. Pictures show officers standing guard at the cordon. A forensic tent is also in place next to a footpath.
A second cordon is in place around a large van around a 15-minute walk away. The van is parked adjacent to a woodland area.
The scene in Warne Avenue, Droylsden, where a six-year-old was near a bench which is covered up in the tent
A large van inside a second police cordon was searched by forensic officers at the scene this afternoon
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Detectives have issued two images of another man we wish to speak to urgently in relation to this incident.
‘We’re keeping an open-mind as our fast-paced enquiries continue. Thank you for your help so far.’
Officers had earlier released a statement with a CCTV image saying: ‘We’re wanting to speak to this man after a girl (aged six) was taken into the woods by a stranger in Droylsden earlier.
‘Thankfully the girl was re-united with her family a short time later.
‘Seen him? Call 999. Contact us with any other info quoting 2270 of 17/08.’
There are a large number of officers in the area while ‘extensive searches for the suspect take place’, police said.
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