Girl, 11, grabbed by man as she walked home in Shropshire town
A man grabbed an 11-year-old girl by the arm as she walked home along a cycle path, police said today.
The schoolgirl, who was walking in Whitchurch, managed to get away and told an adult, who called the police.
Investigations are ongoing into whether the incident, which took place on Thursday afternoon, is linked to an assault on an 11-year-old girl in Park Road, Whitchurch, on the afternoon of Saturday, August, 30.
Police have not given any details of that assault, although they said at the time the girl was not injured and the man ran away, covering his face with his T-shirt.
The suspect in the latest incident is described as a white man of slim build in his early 20s, with a thin line of facial hair running from his bottom lip to his chin.
He was wearing an over-sized light grey hooded top and was carrying a black JD Sports bag.
The girl was walking between the rugby club and Edgeley Road towards the park on Wayland Road between 3pm and 3.30pm.
Detective Inspector Teresa McKenna, of Shropshire CID, said of Thursday's incident: "Thankfully the girl was not harmed but understandably shaken up by the ordeal. It is not yet known what the man's motives were and we are currently treating it as a suspicious incident.
"Naturally we want to hear from anyone who may recognise the description of the man or may have seen him about the area."
She added: "Incidents such as this are thoroughly investigated by West Mercia Police and we want to stress that incidents of this type are extremely rare."
Anyone with information should call West Mercia Police on 101, quoting incident number 423s of November 13, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
