'Brave' schoolgirl fights off a kidnapper
Warning to parents after a girl is almost snatched off the street
Detectives investigating an attempted abduction in the Clayton area of Manchester have released a description of the offender. Sometime between 3:35pm and 3:40pm on Wednesday (16 November 2016), a 9-year-old girl was walking along Heather Street when she was grabbed by a man and dragged down an alley, towards Midlothian Street. After the girl struggled and began screaming, the man let go of her and ran away. He is described as a black man with a goatee beard and was wearing a black cap, black coat, blue jeans and brown shoes. Detective Constable John Armitage of GMP’s City of Manchester team said: “This young girl was approached in broad daylight as she walked home from school and grabbed by a man whose motives remain unclear. “She is a very brave young girl but this has understandably left her very distressed and I would like to appeal directly to members of the public to come forward if they recognise the description of this man. “We are taking this matter extremely seriously and have liaised with local schools in the area as well as increasing high visibility patrols in the area to provide reassurance to the local community. “If anybody has any information then I would urge them to please come forward.” Anybody with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 1609 of 16/11/16, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. PL