E-Fit Issued Of Man Wanted In Relation To Attempted Abduction

Police wanting to speak to man, after a 12 year old girl was approached in Kirkby

Published 1st Feb 2016

Merseyside Police is today (Monday, 1 February) issuing an e-fit of a man police wish to speak to in relation to a report of an alleged attempt to grab a 12-year-old girl in Kirkby in January. At approximately 7.45am on Tuesday, 19 January, the girl was walking along Fernhurst Road in Kirkby, when a man got out the passenger side of a white van (which was parked on the street) and encouraged her to approach him before getting hold of her. The girl managed to break free and ran off to school. She reported the incident to a teacher who contacted the police and extensive enquiries are being carried out in a bid to identify the man pictured. Knowsley Detective Inspector Robbie Moss said: "I am keen to reassure the local community that we take all incidents of this nature extremely seriously, although they are thankfully rare. The girl was unnerved by what happened and did exactly the right thing by running away and telling an adult as soon as possible. "The incident took place at a time where people will have been on the way to school and work, and it is likely that other people may have witnessed the incident. I would urge anyone who may have information to get in touch and we will look into all information provided. “Neighbourhood officers regularly visit schools to work alongside teachers in giving children appropriate stranger danger advice and we would encourage parents to support the schools and ourselves by reinforcing the safety messages to ensure their child’s safety.” Anyone who witnessed the incident or recognise the man from this image should contact Knowsley CID on (0151) 777 6561, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.