A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to rape a 12-year-old boy in the toilets of Manchester’s Arndale Centre yesterday.
At around 4.50pm police received reports that the boy was approached by a man in the toilet who then attempted to rape the boy. The boy then left the complex before they arrived.
A 68-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and is currently in police custody for questioning.
Efforts are being made to trace the boy, who police are keen to speak to.
Detective Sergeant Mark Tiffany, from the Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “At this stage we do not have a clear picture of what happened as we have not been able to speak to the boy.
“We are urging him to come forward and speak to police in confidence so that we can find out what happened and get him any help and support he needs.
“I want to reassure the public that this does appear to be an isolated incident but we are treating the report extremely seriously.”
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 1911 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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