Hampshire Constabulary

Police are appealing for witnesses after a girl was grabbed by a man in a car park in Little Arthur Street, near to Hanway Road in Portsmouth.

At 2.10pm on Friday, September 12, a 15-year-old girl from Waterlooville was waiting in the car park to be collected by her mother.

A man approached the girl and offered her a lift home. When she refused he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him. The girl shouted, “No!”, and a passer by shouted at the man to let her go.

The man let go of the girl and walked to a blue car parked in the car park, and drove off. The make and model of the car is unknown, though it was a four door.

The man is described as:

• Tanned skin, possibly Asian
• 5ft 3-4in
• Around 30 years old
• Dark hair, shaven
• Large, ‘chubby’ build
• Large nose
• Local accent

Detective Constable Kristie O’Brien, from Fratton police station, said, “This was a serious, but isolated incident. The girl was left very shaken by what happened and we are appealing to anyone who heard or saw anything to contact police as soon as possible to assist us in identifying this man.

“We are also very keen to trace the man who passed by and helped the girl by shouting at the man who grabbed her. He was a white man of around 30 years old, described as being of muscular build, with short, brown, spiky hair and wearing a white hooded top. He may be able to give us more detail about the man or his car and so it is important he contacts us.”