Boy, 10, assaulted in Gillingham

He was grabbed by a stranger

Author: Sharon PlummerPublished 4th Aug 2022

A child's been hurt, after being assaulted in Gillingham.

The 10-year-old had been playing with a family member in the football cage at the RiversMeet Leisure Centre in Hardings Lane on Monday 25 July, when he kicked the ball out of the area.

When he went to retrieve it, a man pulled him to the floor by the back of his T-shirt, leaving the child with cuts and grazes to his back. The man was reportedly disrupted and the boy ran away.

The suspect is described as a white man, aged in his 30s, approximately six feet tall and of medium build. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms and a black hooded top.

Police Constable Neil Hawkes, of North Dorset police, said: “This was an unprovoked assault on a young boy who was enjoying a kick-about with family, and we are keen to identify the person responsible.

“I would like to reassure the community that we are continuing to investigate this incident and I would urge anyone who witnessed what happened, or recognises the man from the description given, to please come forward.”

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