A brave Heywood schoolgirl has fought off a pervert who approached her from behind and sexually assaulted her.
The male offender came up behind his 15-year-old victim and lifted up her skirt, prompting her to turn around before he lifted her skirt again and stroked her leg at around 7:50am on Friday July 10.
The courageous teen, who was walking through an alleyway between Gorse Hill Street and King Street on her way to school, managed to fight off her attacker, who ran away back in the direction of Gorse Hill Street.
Police Constable David McMahon said: “This incident has left the young victim feeling understandably very distressed and I would like to pay tribute to her for the bravery she showed fighting off the offender.
“Incidents like this are very rare in Heywood and we take incidents like this extremely serious and have now stepped up patrols in the area.”
The offender is described as a 17-19-year-old white male, approximately 6ft tall, of slim to medium build with short dark hair and very light stubble around his jaw.
He was wearing a light blue hooded jacket with a zip on the front and spoke with a local accent.
PC McMahon added: “We are very keen to speak to anybody who may have seen a male fitting this description in the area at around this time or anybody else that may have any information about this incident.”
Anybody with information should contact the Rochdale South Neighbourhood policing team on 0161 856 8701 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Image courtesy of Google Maps, with thanks.
